May 13, 1784 Tsunami: S. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8 earthquake began at S. Peru on May 13, 1784 at 12:35 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 383 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 13, 1784, 12:35 UTC
- Source
- S. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 16.500° S, 72.000° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 383 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million); Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50); 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.
May 13, 1784. ...the 15 have been received expresses from the Valle de Tambo and Moquegua and is participated that all the offices of those cane plantations have been demolished, where the Sea was thrown up and in the same way that in Camana... (reference #1211)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camana | Peru | 77 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Moquegua | Peru | 137 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1784The 1700sTsunamis 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 3685.