October 2, 1868 Earthquake: Lima, Arequipa, Arica, Peru
An earthquake struck Lima, Arequipa, Arica, Peru on October 2, 1868. 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
- October 2, 1868
- Place
- Lima, Arequipa, Arica, Peru
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 17.000° S, 72.500° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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, October 2, 5:00 [local time]. 17 S 72.5 W. A rather strong earthquake occurred at Lima. Arequipa, Arica and other coastal settlements suffered damage. The sea level rapidly rose and fell at Talcahuano. (reference #415)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 19, 1600, Volcan Huaynaputina, Peru
- May 13, 1784, Arequipa,camana,moquegua,tambo, Peru
- November 24, 1604, Arica, Arequipa, Chile, Peru
- July 10, 1821, Camana, Ocona, Caraveli, Peru
- June 23, 2001, Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna, Ayacucho, Peru
- July 23, 1991, Maca, Chivay, Yanque, Peru
- January 13, 1960, Arequipa,chuquibamba,caraveli,cotahuasi, Peru
- January 22, 1582, Socabaya,arequipa, Peru
- January 15, 1958, Arequipa, Peru
- February 16, 1979, Arequipa, Peru
- August 15, 2016, Arequipa, Peru
- April 3, 1999, Camana, Arequipa, Peru
- July 7, 2001, Arequipa, Arica, Peru
- August 11, 2017, Arequipa, Peru
- July 18, 2017, Arequipa, Peru
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 6160.