Significant earthquakes of 1836

July 3, 1836 Earthquake: Cobija, Chile

July 3, 1836 · M7.5

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Cobija, Chile on July 3, 1836. It caused a tsunami.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
July 3, 1836
Place
Cobija, Chile
Magnitude
7.5 (Ms)
Epicenter
22.600° S, 70.300° W
Country
Chile

The toll

The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

July (or June) 3, 1836, at midnight. At Cobija (northern Chile) a strong surge was felt on a ship, riding at anchor. The sea beat powerfully on the rocks in the bay. The surge gradually increased; by 7:00 it had grown many times over and broke on the beach with great force, although the breeze had not become stronger. These flood tide phenomena were attributed by the residents to an earthquake, the shock of which was felt on land with a certain intensity at about 8:30. The earthquake was not noticed on board the ship, or even on a small peninsula to the south of the bay, connected to shore by a sand bar. In other compendia, it is more definitely stated that an earthquake was felt at Antofagasta and Cobija and was accompanied by a tsunami. (reference #415)

July 3, 1836, Chile. Earthquake felt at Cobija and Antofagasta. The earthquake was accompanied

by a sea wave. (reference #39)

July 3, 1836, 13:06 UTC, 22.6 S, 70.3 W, magnitude 7.5, runup height 2 m. (reference #552)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1836The 1800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6047.