April 24, 1858 Tsunami: Central Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at Central Chile on April 24, 1858 at 11:15 UTC. 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
- April 24, 1858, 11:15 UTC
- Source
- Central Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 30.000° S, 71.400° W
The toll
- Deaths
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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.
On April 24, 1858 at 7:15 [local time] in the morning, there was an earthquake at La Serena lasting 80 seconds, not causing any damage; there were tremors from time to time in the evening. At 7:45, there was an earthquake at Santiago. On the "Himalaya," situated approximately at 28 deg 54 min S., 75 deg 59 min W., the captain, the entire crew, and passengers were surprised in the morning at breakfast, to feel a strong earthquake lasting 252 seconds; the ship shook as if the water barrels were bouncing inside it. On the "Janette Bertha," crossing from Chanaral to Caldera in the period April 20 to 26, a shock was felt at 27 deg 03 min S., 71 deg 21 min W., as if the ship had struck bottom. (reference #415)
April 24, 1858, 30 S, 71.4 W, magnitude 6.5 MS, runup height 1.4 m (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coquimbo | Chile | 8 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1858The 1800sTsunamis of ChileThe 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 875.