Significant earthquakes of 1878

April 12, 1878 Earthquake: Northern, Chile

April 12, 1878

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
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.

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.