Significant earthquakes of 1869

April 22, 1869 Earthquake: Lima, Peru

April 22, 1869

An earthquake struck Lima, Peru on April 22, 1869. 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
April 22, 1869
Place
Lima, Peru
Epicenter
12.100° S, 77.100° W
Country
Peru

The toll

Damage
Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses damaged
Many (101 to 1,000)

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.

April 22, 1869, 14:00 [local time]. There was an earthquake at Lima; it lasted about a minute; great damage was done to buildings; accidents were recorded. Miraflores and Chorillos suffered less. The earthquake was preceded by a strong shock and was followed by numerous aftershocks. There was a rumor that the sea had retreated far at Corral [Callao?] port and that many families had left the port and gone to Lima. (reference #415)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1869The 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 9794.