October 18, 1837 Tsunami: Mexico City
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Mexico City on October 18, 1837. 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
- October 18, 1837
- Source
- Mexico City
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 19.450° N, 99.150° 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.
1937. On October 18, about 16:00, another strong earthquake occurred and lasted more than a minute.
None of these exceptional earthquakes caused any disturbances in the movement of the sea, if one ignores a few eddies and unusual currents. Flood and ebb tides were completely regular.
Montessus de Ballore, (1906), writes more definitely about a tsunami at Acapulco in 1837.
(Above from 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City doubtful | Mexico | 0 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1837The 1800sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 5495.