May 7, 1906 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Northern Chile on May 7, 1906. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 countries.
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 7, 1906
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake, 33 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 18.500° S, 70.300° 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.
There were strong shocks lasting about 35 seconds at Tacna, Peru and Arica, Chile and the sea was agitated. (reference #415)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arica | Chile | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Tacna | Peru | 49 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1906The 1900sTsunamis 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 1334.