Historic Tsunami

1955 Chile Tsunami

19 April 1955 · Central Chile · Chile

On 19 April 1955 at 20:24 UTC, a tsunami formed near Central Chile, Chile. It was caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Waves reached up to 1.0 m high. It was observed at 7 locations in 2 countries or territories, up to 10,792 km from its source. It killed at least 1 person.

Date

19 April 1955

Time

20:24 UTC

Cause

Earthquake

Earthquake Magnitude

7.1

Highest Wave

1.0 m

Observation Sites

7

Furthest Reach

10,792 km

Deaths

1

Source Country

Chile

Triggering Earthquake

M 7.1, 1955

Countries and Territories Reached

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

• 4Chile · 1.0 m1 deaths
• 3United States of America · 0.1 m

Highest Waves

• 1.0 mCoquimbo · Chile · 64 km
• 1.0 mLa Serena · Chile · 72 km1 deaths
• 1.0 mTongoy · Chile · 55 km
• 0.5 mArica · Chile · 1,288 km
• 0.1 mHilo, Hawaii, Hi · United States of America · 10,451 km
• 0.1 mHonolulu, Oahu, Hi · United States of America · 10,792 km
• 0.1 mKahului, Maui, Hi · United States of America · 10,644 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
• 1943Central Chile, Chile · 1.0 m11 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