September 2, 1877 Tsunami: Central Chile
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Central Chile on September 2, 1877. 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
- September 2, 1877
- Source
- Central Chile
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 33.000° S, 71.600° 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.
September 2, 1877, 14:00 [local time], event validity questionable, tsunami intensity 0.5. At Valparaiso, with good, completely calm weather, there was a high swell which is usually observed only with a very strong north wind. At the same time there was a strong thunderstorm at Santiago. (reference #415)
September 2, 1877, runup height 1 m, tsunami intensity 0.5, S. Central Chile, meteorological cause. (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 | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1877The 1800sTsunamis of ChileThis 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 1082.