March 25, 1871 Tsunami: Central Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at Central Chile on March 25, 1871. The water rose as high as 1 meters. 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
- March 25, 1871
- Source
- Central Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 35.000° S, 72.500° W
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
1871, March 25, about 11:00 [local time], 35 S, 72.5 W, magnitude 7.5. At Santiago and in a large part of Chile, there was an earthquake, the strongest in the last 20 years. At Valparaiso .. A strong seaquake was felt on a ship in the harbor. The sea became very agitated. The ships in the harbor felt strong tremors. Some of them ran aground. (reference #415)
March 25, 1871, 14;54 UTC, 35 S, 72.5 W, magnitude 7.5, runup height 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso | Chile | 232 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1871The 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 1023.