December 1, 1806 Tsunami: Central Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Central Peru on December 1, 1806 at 23:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 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
- December 1, 1806, 23:00 UTC
- Source
- Central Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 12.100° S, 77.100° 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.
December 1, 1806. Lima experienced a severe earthquake at 18:00 hours. At 20:00 the sea rose above the shore at Callao, flooding the town; and at 21:30 a 1 m high wave cast several vessels ashore and damaged others. An anchor of 1 1/2 tons weight, was carried by the water almost to the house of the port captain and was left in a lagoon. (reference #415)
December 1, 1806, 12.1 S, 77.1 W, Peru. (reference #552)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callao | Peru | 8 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1806The 1800sTsunamis 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 596.