September 16, 1615 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Northern Chile on September 16, 1615. The water rose as high as 4 meters. 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
- September 16, 1615
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5
- Maximum water height
- 4 m (13.1 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 18.500° S, 70.350° W
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
Eleven years after the earthquake and tsunami of 1604, Arica was again destroyed by a strong earthquake. The tsunami which appeared in the same areas as the tsunami of 1604, did not cause serious damage. Two small negro children were almost drowned. (reference #415)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arica | Chile | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1615The 1600sTsunamis of ChileThe 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 230.