May 3, 1887 Tsunami: N. Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake and a landslide began at N. Mexico on May 3, 1887 at 09:00 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 51 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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 3, 1887, 09:00 UTC
- Source
- N. Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 30.800° N, 109.250° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 51 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
On May 3, 1887, 14:45 [local time] there was a strong earthquake in northwest Mexico, in the states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Near the lighthouse on Haro Cape, following the earthquake the water retreated from shore a considerable distance, and then retreated again several times with the same force. An unstable part of the hill to the west of the lighthouse collapsed from the impact of the tidal waves. Questionable tsunami. (reference #415)
Reference #13234 cites an account describing violent withdrawal of sea, returning equally as violent then describes the collapse of hill and lighthouse due to wave activity.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabo Haro | Mexico | 364 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1887The 1800sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 1168.