Historic Tsunami

1906 Chile Tsunami

17 August 1906 · Central Chile · Chile

On 17 August 1906 at 00:40 UTC, a tsunami formed near Central Chile, Chile. It was caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. Waves reached up to 3.5 m high. It was observed at 33 locations in 4 countries or territories, up to 17,445 km from its source. It killed at least 4,000 people. It is the 21st deadliest of the tsunamis recorded since 1900.

Date

17 August 1906

Time

00:40 UTC

Cause

Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude

8.2

Highest Wave

3.5 m

Observation Sites

33

Furthest Reach

17,445 km

Deaths

4,000

Estimated Damage

100 million US dollars

Source Country

Chile

Triggering Earthquake

1906 Valparaíso Earthquake

Countries and Territories Reached

Number of observations, highest wave and deaths in each country.

• 9United States of America · 3.5 m
• 18Chile · 1.5 m
• 5Japan · 0.2 m
• 1French Polynesia

Highest Waves

• 3.5 mMaalaea, Maui, Hi · United States of America · 10,758 km
• 1.5 mPenco · Chile · 424 km
• 1.5 mTome · Chile · 411 km
• 1.5 mHilo, Hawaii, Hi · United States of America · 10,567 km
• 0.2 mPort Chatham, Kenai, Ak · United States of America · 12,549 km
• 0.2 mKushimoto · Japan · 17,445 km
• 0.1 mHakodate · Japan · 16,987 km
• 0.1 mHonolulu, Oahu, Hi · United States of America · 10,907 km
• 0.1 mAyukawa · Japan · 16,952 km
• 0.1 mAburatsubo · Japan · 17,111 km

Other Major Tsunamis in the Region

• 2015Central Chile, Chile · 13.6 m15 deaths
• 2010Central Chile, Chile · 29.0 m558 deaths
• 1985Central Chile, Chile · 3.5 m180 deaths
• 1971Central Chile, Chile · 0.6 m83 deaths
• 1943Central Chile, Chile · 1.0 m11 deaths
• 1928Central Chile, Chile · 1.5 m279 deaths

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Tsunami Database (doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7) · Natural Earth