December 4, 1934 Earthquake: Iquique, Pisagua, Sapiga, Negrero, Chile

Name: December 4, 1934 Earthquake: Iquique, Pisagua, Sapiga, Negrero, Chile
Start: 1934-12-04
Location: Iquique, Pisagua, Sapiga, Negrero, Chile

December 4, 1934 · M6.9

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Iquique, Pisagua, Sapiga, Negrero, Chile on December 4, 1934 at 17:24:38 UTC, 130 km below the surface. 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: December 4, 1934
Time: 17:24:38 UTC
Place: Iquique, Pisagua, Sapiga, Negrero, Chile
Magnitude: 6.9 (Ms)
Focal depth: 130 km (81 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 19.500° S, 69.500° W
Country: Chile

The toll

Injuries: Some (about 51 to 100)
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed: 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.

Dec. 4, 1934, 12:45 [local time, 17:24:38 UTC], 19.5 S, 69.5 W, depth 130 km, magnitude 6.9 MS. There was a strong earthquake in the border regions of Peru and Chile. Many homes collapsed in the rural locality of Iquique and Pisagua and there were injuries. Several old walls also cracked and partially crumbled at Iquique, Pisagua and Arica there were injuries (7 degrees); Antofagasta, six degrees. The earthquake was felt strongly at Taltal and was noted at Copiapo. Twelve perceptible recurrent shocks were recorded in the focal zone. There were signs of agitation of the sea at Arica. (reference #415)

Iquique, Chile, December 4,1934.--A strong earthquake lasting forty seconds was felt in the Arica section of Chile at 17h24m8 G.C.T. on December 4th, damaging houses at Iquique, Pisagua, Sapiga, and Negrero. The epicenter has been tentatively located at longitude 70 deg west, latitude 19 deg south. (reference #1296)

Dec. 4, 1934, 17:24:38 UTC, 19.5 S, 69.5 W, depth 130 km, magnitude 6.9 MS. (reference #1206)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1934 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1934 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 5742.