July 28, 1913 Tsunami: S. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at S. Peru on July 28, 1913 at 06:40 UTC. 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
- July 28, 1913, 06:40 UTC
- Source
- S. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 30 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 16.600° S, 73.300° 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.
July 28, 1913, 12:40 [local time], July 28 05:39.3 UTC, 17 S, 74 W, tsunami event validity questionable. There was a 6 degree earthquake at Arequipa. Everyone sleeping was awakened, and felt strong tremors which lasted 70 seconds. The second shock was felt 1 1/2 minutes later. At 12:46 when they entered the seismic pavilion, the needle of the instrument appeared to be still moving. The ground shook for a long time but not very strongly. The pendulums of some clocks stopped. There was universal panic in the city. The cable companies reported serious damage to cable lines off the coast of Peru, probably due more to the seaquake than to the earthquake. A strong earthquake occurred at Tacna; there was a "maremoto" at Mollendo; a cable was broken. It was felt between Chala and Mollendo. The cable broke at 17 S, 78.3 W, at a depth of 4209 m. [Apparently only a seaquake, without generation of a tsunami.] (reference #415)
July 28, 1913, 05:39 UTC, 17 S, 74 W, magnitude 7.0 MS. (reference #164)
Reference #1111 and #4248 attributes the three ruptured submarine cables to ‘submarine talus slide’
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mollendo | Peru | 146 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1913The 1900sTsunamis of PeruThe 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 1408.