January 8, 1865 Tsunami: Central Peru
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Central Peru on January 8, 1865. The water rose as high as 2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 5 people.
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
- January 8, 1865
- Source
- Central Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 12.000° S, 77.100° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 5
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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 January 8 and 9, 1865, there were two earthquakes at Callao. The sea was very agitated and did great damage. A bathhouse was washed away, killing five people. The crest of the breakwater collapsed. Other structures were destroyed. In the port, off shore, and as far as the horizon the sea looked like a cauldron of boiling water. (reference #415)
Reference #552 lists 2 m runup height.
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 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 5 |
More
Every tsunami in 1865The 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 935.