October 2, 1913 Tsunami: Off Coast, Panama

Reference #8015:

Extensive cracking and liquefaction of the ground was observed along the banks of the river at Pajanosa, as well as on the main road to Tonosi. At Cacao and along the bank of Rio Viejo at Las Huertas the shock caused widespread liquefaction. Near Cerro Bonita it was found that the Rio Joaquin had cut a new channel, caused by the opening of fissures at a bend in its channel. The shock caused many landslides in this area, mostly of surface material from steep slopes.

A few hours after the earthquake a submarine slide ruptured the Central & South American cable near the islet of Frailes del Norte, about 25 km off the south coast of Los Santos province. It has been reported that the broken end of the cable was found at a depth of 1463 m, whereas when the cable was first laid, the depth was only about 305.m. Here the shock caused an abrupt change in the bathymetry, which suggests that submarine sliding occurred. The tide gauge at Balboa showed no abnormal fluctuations of the.sea level, and, except in the Gulf of San Miguel on the east coast of the Gulf of Panama, from where it was reported that the sea behaved abnormally on the day of the earthquake, there is no evidence of aseismic sea wave.

Reference #273:

Viquez & Camacho, 1993:

Witnesses traveling in the Cocle steamboat were at the entrance of Gulf of San Miguel, Pacific coast, province of Darien, narrated: the sea at a considerable distance behaved oddly, presenting the appearance of boiling water. The water in its surroundings was making bubbles with small waves which seemed to break each other, without any direction defined. "

"Due to the first and strongest of the earthquakes the submarine cable broke. It was discovered that it had ripped 15 miles from the coast, in the neighborhood from the island of El Fraile del Norte, where there was a sudden rise in sea level."

Feldman:

"Panama, 2. At midnight, despite the rain, thousands of people ran to the street as a result of the panic from them several jolts of the earth .. . . "

"A gentleman who had just arrived in this capital from Panama, has supplied us with some data about terres (earthquakes) that lately have been whipping the Republic. . . . . . That the place called Tonosi was totally sunk and there were many victims. "

". . . the waters of the Joaquin and Flores rivers grew to extreme flooding the mountains, this without having rained and there have been cracks in surroundings of the rivers that can fit a cattle. "

"In Tonosi, the buildings of that town have been reduced to debris; that the rivers of their causes left and that they flooded considerable portions of land. "

"...... A small town called Pedaci disappeared completely, killing all the inhabitants . The tremors in that place were accompanied by large crescents, two rivers joined and Pedaci that was between them, totally disappeared. . .

Reference #1402:

Strange behaviour of the sea resembling boiling water. Sudden elevation of the sea level. Rivers rose up flooding areas inland. Pedasi Village disappeared (MacDonald and Johnston, 1913; Feldman, 1984; Viquez and Camacho, 1993a; Ambraseys and Adams, 1996).

Reference #11947:

Eleven years later, in 1913, the water level of the Pacific Ocean on the Panama coast rose suddenly after a great earthquake, and the Villa Pedassi community on the southern tip of the Azuero peninsula were reported to have been inundated.