April 12, 1878 Earthquake: Northern, Chile
An earthquake struck Northern, Chile on April 12, 1878. 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 12, 1878
- Place
- Northern, Chile
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 20.200° S, 70.100° 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.
April 12, 1878, 20:00 local time. At Iquique, there was a mild but prolonged earthquake with underground rumbling. On the 13th, at 3:45, an enormous wave suddenly fell onshore at Buchupureo and penetrated 60 m inland. (reference #415)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 10, 1877, Off North Coast, Chile
- June 13, 2005, Tarapaca, Chile
- April 1, 2014, Iquique, Alto Hospicio, Northern, Chile
- August 8, 1987, Arica, Iquique, Chile
- November 30, 1976, Pozo Almonte, Oficina Victoria, Arica, Chile
- December 21, 1967, Northern, Chile
- August 23, 1877, Iquique, Chile
- March 12, 1878, Northern, Chile
- July 14, 1881, Northern, Chile
- November 12, 1885, Iquique, Chile
- September 26, 1903, Iquique, Chile
- October 5, 1871, Chile
- January 23, 1878, Tarapaca, Chile
- April 3, 2014, Iquique, Northern, Chile
- March 16, 2014, Iquique, Chile
More
Significant earthquakes of 1878The 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 6537.