September 30, 1878 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Northern Chile on September 30, 1878. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- September 30, 1878
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 20.200° S, 70.200° 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.
Last days of September, 1878, event validity questionable. The sea was restless at Iquique and Chanaral as during a very strong storm. (reference #415)
September 15, 1878, N. Central Chile. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iquique | Chile | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Chanaral | Chile | 686 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1878The 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 1110.