Historic Tsunami

1943 Chile Tsunami

6 April 1943 · Central Chile · Chile

On 6 April 1943 at 16:07 UTC, a tsunami formed near Central Chile, Chile. It was caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. Waves reached up to 1.0 m high. It was observed at 12 locations in 3 countries or territories, up to 17,948 km from its source. It killed at least 11 people.

Date

6 April 1943

Time

16:07 UTC

Cause

Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude

8.2

Highest Wave

1.0 m

Observation Sites

12

Furthest Reach

17,948 km

Deaths

11

Source Country

Chile

Triggering Earthquake

1943 Ovalle Earthquake

Countries and Territories Reached

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

• 2Chile · 0.4 m
• 5Japan · 0.2 m
• 5United States of America · 0.1 m

Highest Waves

• 0.4 mValparaiso · Chile · 255 km
• 0.2 mNagasaki · Japan · 17,948 km
• 0.1 mKushimoto · Japan · 17,396 km
• 0.1 mCrescent City, Ca · United States of America · 9,647 km
• 0.1 mShimosato · Japan · 17,383 km
• 0.1 mHanasaki · Japan · 16,438 km
• 0.1 mUragami · Japan · 17,385 km
• 0.0 mSan Francisco, Ca · United States of America · 9,225 km
• 0.0 mSan Diego, Ca · United States of America · 8,483 km
• 0.0 mTerminal Island (Los Angeles), Ca · United States of America · 8,636 km

Other Major Tsunamis in the Region

• 2015Central Chile, Chile · 13.6 m15 deaths
• 1985Central Chile, Chile · 3.5 m180 deaths
• 1971Central Chile, Chile · 0.6 m83 deaths
• 1928Central Chile, Chile · 1.5 m279 deaths
• 1922Northern Chile, Chile · 5.5 m700 deaths
• 1906Central Chile, Chile · 3.5 m4,000 deaths

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