January 31, 1906 Tsunami: Caracas, Venezuela
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Caracas, Venezuela on January 31, 1906. Its effects were recorded at 6 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
- January 31, 1906
- Source
- Caracas, Venezuela
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
- Source location
- 10.500° N, 66.916° 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.
A tsunami was reported at locations along the coast of Venezuela after the earthquake in Caracas. Centenau-Grau (1969) cites the earthquake at 9:24 am (local time); at 10 am he cites a "maremoto" (tidal wave) at "Cano Colorado (Maturin). Rios Catatumbo, Zulia, Escalante, Lago de Maracaibo. Costas de Nueva Esparta, de Cumana, Carupano, Rio Caribe, Rio Paure, Arauca, etc." At La Guaria the sea turned red. Some of the listed areas are inland from the coast, located by rivers. Singer et. al (1983) reports tsunami effects in the region of Cumana, Carupano, Costas Nueva Esparta, Rio Caribe, and Isla Magarita. Schubert (1994) includes Maiquetia.
Reference #124 lists these as seiches related to the 1906 Jan 31 Ecuador/Colombia earthquakes
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maiquetia | Venezuela | 12 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Cumana | Venezuela | 297 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Isla DE Margarita | Venezuela | 324 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Coast of Nueva Esparta | Venezuela | 324 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Carupano | Venezuela | 403 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Rio Caribe | Venezuela | 418 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1906The 1900sTsunamis of VenezuelaThe 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 2627.