May 14, 1877 Tsunami: Central Peru
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Central Peru on May 14, 1877. Its effects were recorded at 3 places.
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
- May 14, 1877
- Source
- Central Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 12.070° S, 77.150° 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.
May 14, 19:10 and 21:00 [local time], 1877. There were strong shocks at Callao; the sea rose very high at Ancon. (reference #415)
Reference #13421 suggests the possibility of two earthquakes on 14 May, each with an associated tsunami
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callao | Peru | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Ancon | Peru | 35 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Chala | Peru | 524 | 1.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1877The 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 1077.