May 12, 1664 Tsunami: Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake began at Peru on May 12, 1664 at 09:15 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 400 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- May 12, 1664, 09:15 UTC
- Source
- Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.3, 15 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 14.100° S, 75.800° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 70; 400 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
" [...] The devastation extended to Pisco, where about sixty were drowned and others crushed by the fallings walls" (Ordiozola, 1863). (reference #1111)
In Ica between 0400 and 0500 Houses a earthquake of intensity about XI degree Mercalli scale was felt . Almost total destruction of buildings, churches and other constructions. Fissures opened in many places and the duration of the vibration was more than 15 minutes . The same day more than 30 earthquake occured. Only 200 people survived . In Pisco about 70 persons were killed and the sea waves invaded past of the city. (reference #1102)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pisco | Peru | 63 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 70 |
More
Every tsunami in 1664The 1600sTsunamis of PeruThe 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 5809.