December 25, 1541 Tsunami: Cubagua Island, Venezuela
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Cubagua Island, Venezuela on December 25, 1541. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- December 25, 1541
- Source
- Cubagua Island, Venezuela
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 10.800° N, 64.200° W
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.
A tsunami was reported at Cubagua Island, along with possible tsunami damage at Nueva Cadiz, Venezuela. Singer et al. (Reference #410) says that an earthquake is doubtful.
Sin embargo, durante mucho tiempo, el huracan de 1541, ha sido interpretado erroneamente como un terremoto tsunamigenico catastrofico que arraso Cubagua en una sola noche. Esta confusion ha sido invariablemente repetida por la historiografia venezolana y ademas la han heredado algunos catalogos sismicos (Centeno Grau, 1969; Singer et al., 1983; O'Loughlin & Lander, 2003).[Hurricane of 1541 has been erroneously interpreted as a catastrophic tsunamigenic earthquake that leveled Cubagua in a single night. This confusion has invariably been repeated by Venezuelan historians as well as some seismic catalogs.] (reference #11659)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nueva Cadiz | Venezuela | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1541The 1500sTsunamis of VenezuelaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 169.