Historic Tsunami

1950 Nicaragua Tsunami

5 October 1950 · Costa Rica-Nicaragua · Nicaragua

On 5 October 1950 at 16:09 UTC, a tsunami formed near Costa Rica-Nicaragua, Nicaragua. It was caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake. Waves reached up to 2.0 m high. It was observed at 10 locations in 3 countries or territories, up to 7,987 km from its source.

Date

5 October 1950

Time

16:09 UTC

Cause

Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude

7.7

Highest Wave

2.0 m

Observation Sites

10

Furthest Reach

7,987 km

Source Country

Nicaragua

Triggering Earthquake

M 7.7, 1950

Countries and Territories Reached

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

• 5Costa Rica · 2.0 m
• 2El Salvador · 0.1 m
• 3United States of America · 0.1 m

Highest Waves

• 2.0 mNicoya Peninsula · Costa Rica · 136 km
• 0.1 mPuntarenas · Costa Rica · 116 km
• 0.1 mLa Union · El Salvador · 401 km
• 0.1 mHilo, Hawaii, Hi · United States of America · 7,536 km
• 0.1 mHonolulu, Oahu, Hi · United States of America · 7,816 km
• 0.1 mPort Allen, Kauai, Hi · United States of America · 7,987 km
• 0.1 mLa Libertad · El Salvador · 545 km

Other Major Tsunamis in the Region

• 2012Costa Rica · 0.2 m2 deaths
• 2001El Salvador · 0.3 m844 deaths
• 1992Nicaragua · 9.9 m170 deaths
• 1991Limon, Pandora, Costa Rica · 3.0 m90 deaths
• 1983Costa Rica · 0.1 m6 deaths
• 1941Costa Rica-Panama, Costa Rica · 0.2 m6 deaths

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