Tsunamis in 1869

June 25, 1869 Tsunami: Northern Chile

June 25, 1869 · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Northern Chile on June 25, 1869. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
June 25, 1869
Source
Northern Chile
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
The earthquake
Runups recorded
1
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
19.600° S, 70.200° 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.

June 25, 1869, [5:00 local time] validity possible. An earthquake occurred at Iquique (Chile) and a strong earthquake at Pisagua. It was accompanied by a loud rumble. People and animals were frightened. A strong shock was felt on board a ship, rocked by long waves. (reference #415)

June 25, 1869, 19.6 S, 70.2 W, runup height 0.7 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.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
PisaguaChile2Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1869The 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 3040.