Tsunamis in 1869

February 6, 1869 Tsunami: Southern Chile

February 6, 1869 · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Southern Chile on February 6, 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
February 6, 1869
Source
Southern Chile
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
The earthquake
Runups recorded
1
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
39.900° S, 73.400° 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.

February 6, 1869. There was a mild earthquake at Valdivia. A strong earthquake occurred lasting 3-4 seconds at the lighthouse at Corral. The sea churned. (reference #415)

February 6, 1869. 39.9 S, 73.4 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
CorralChile5Eyewitness 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 996.