November 16, 1827 Tsunami: Ecuador
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Ecuador on November 16, 1827 at 22:45 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- November 16, 1827, 22:45 UTC
- Source
- Ecuador
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 1.800° S, 76.400° 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.
1827, November 16. In his account of the destructive earthquake in Colombia, Sieberg (Sieberg, A. Erdbebengeographie. - Handb. Geophys., 1932, Bd 4, Lfg 3.) mentions a flood at Magdalena and the valley of the Cauca River. According to other sources, these floods were only due to overflows of the Magdalena and Cauca Rivers, and were not caused by a tsunami. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley of the Cauca River doubtful | Colombia | 619 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Magdalena doubtful | Colombia | 1,290 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1827The 1800sTsunamis of EcuadorThe 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 664.