January 10, 1872 Tsunami: S. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at S. Peru on January 10, 1872. 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
- January 10, 1872
- Source
- S. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 16.400° S, 71.500° 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.
On January 10, 1872, at 7:17 [local time] there was a terrible earthquake at Arequipa, beginning with an abrupt shock and a deafening rumble and lasting about a half minute. Recurrent shocks of lesser strength were felt for an hour. The earthquake coincided with the strongest flood tides of the year. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arequipa | Peru | 53 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1872The 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 1034.