February 7, 1871 Tsunami: S. Mexico
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at S. Mexico on February 7, 1871. The water rose as high as 0.3 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
- February 7, 1871
- Source
- S. Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 18.200° N, 94.500° 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 7, 1871. Two underground shocks occurred at Minatitlan [off the Atlantic coast of Mexico] followed by a sea wave 0.3 m (1 foot) high. An earthquake was felt at Mexico City on the same day. (reference #415)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minatitlan | Mexico | 24 | 0.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1871The 1800sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 5411.