August 8, 1899 Tsunami: Central Chile
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Central Chile on August 8, 1899. 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
- August 8, 1899
- Source
- Central Chile
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 33.000° S, 71.500° W
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
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.
Thus as I write news comes (dated 8th August, 1899) of a tidal wave which burst into Valparaiso Bay, damaging Government property to the extent of millions of dollars. Great parts of the embankment were carried away, and railway-cars and locomotives were dashed off the rails and embedded in the debris, the rails being torn and cranes smashed. Many thousand tons of merchandise were destroyed. The State railway between Bellavista and Baron was completely wrecked. This may only have been a local phenomenon, but a few of the islands in the Paumotus are sometimes washed clean by tidal waves. (reference #3340)
August 8, 1899, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso | Chile | 13 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1899The 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 1257.