November 19, 1873 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Northern Chile on November 19, 1873. 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
- November 19, 1873
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 23.600° S, 70.400° 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.
November 19, 1873, 18:30 [local time]. Three large rollers hit Antofagasta. They were considerably larger than in 1868 and advanced farther onshore. The sea was completely calm both before and after. On the 18th at 12:55, a strong earthquake and an extremely loud rumble were recorded at Antofagasta and the inhabitants were frightened. (reference #415)
November 19, 1873, 23.6 S, 70.4 W, runup height 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antofagasta | Chile | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1873The 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 1053.