Significant earthquakes of 1868

August 13, 1868 Earthquake: Arica, Chile

August 13, 1868 · M8.5 · 25,000 deaths · $300 million

A magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck Arica, Chile on August 13, 1868 at 21:30 UTC, 25 km below the surface. It killed 25,000 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

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
August 13, 1868
Time
21:30 UTC
Place
Arica, Chile
Magnitude
8.5 (Ms)
Focal depth
25 km (16 mi)
Intensity
11 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
18.600° S, 71.000° W
Country
Chile

The toll

Deaths
25,000
Damage
Extreme (about $25 million or more); $300 million with its tsunami and other effects

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1868, August 13, 21:30 UTC. Two great earthquakes with magnitudes up to 8.5 struck Arica, Peru (now Chile), at about 4:45 p.m. and again about 8:45 p.m. local time (71 deg W Sun time which converts to Aug 13 21:30 UTC and Aug 14 01:30 UTC) and generated catastrophic tsunamis that affected locations throughout the Pacific Basin. The towns of Arica, Arequipa, Moquegua, Mollendo, and Ilo were largely destroyed by the earthquake.

Different Reports of Epicenters, Magnitudes and Intensities

TimeLocationMagnitudeIntensityReference #16:45 UTC18.5S 71.0W7921:23 UTC16.4S 71.56WX120821:45 UTC18.29S 70.59W 9.5X121820:45 UTC18.5S 70.35W8.5XI1206

Different Reports of Effects

DamageDeathsReference #$60 million25,0001073$300 million40,000105125,000 from earthquake and tsunami41530,000 from earthquake and tsunami1088525,000 from tsunami794931111

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1868The 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 2139.