Tsunamis in 1882

February 23, 1882 Tsunami: Central Chile

February 23, 1882 · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Central Chile on February 23, 1882. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
February 23, 1882
Source
Central Chile
Cause
Earthquake
Earthquake
The earthquake
Runups recorded
1
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
33.580° S, 71.630° 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.

1882, February 23, at 20:30 [local time]. At San Antonio (center of Chile), a faint rumbling was heard and oscillations began which grew into a catastrophic earthquake. The sea calmed down as soon as the rumbling ceased. (reference #415)

1882, February 23. 27.9 S, 70.1 W, runup height 0.7 m, 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.

WhereCountryKm from sourceWater height, mInland, mMeasured byFirst wave, UTCDeaths
San AntonioChile2Eyewitness observation of water height

More

Every tsunami in 1882The 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 1131.