February 26, 1825 Tsunami: Santa Marta, Colombia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake began at Santa Marta, Colombia on February 26, 1825. 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
- February 26, 1825
- Source
- Santa Marta, Colombia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.3
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 11.100° N, 74.100° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Molina (Reference #273) reports an earthquake near Isla de Roatan, with the North American-Caribbean Plates Boundary Zone as the tectonic environment. He gives no date. This may be related to the February 26, 1825, significant earthquake event of Santa Maria, Colombia. Lander et al. (Reference #537) reports, "A shock was reported by passengers on a boat near Honduras. A rumbling noise was heard. This is a description of a seaquake."
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roatan Island | Honduras | 1,460 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1825The 1800sTsunamis of ColombiaThe 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 651.