January 12, 1914 Tsunami: Central Peru
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Central Peru on January 12, 1914. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 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 12, 1914
- Source
- Central Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 12.000° S, 76.600° 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.
January 12, 1914, 1:45 [local time]. At Callao, there was an earthquake lasting 55 seconds. It was reported that immediately after the earthquake, a tidal wave flooded the foundations of the naval academy and several hotels at La Punta. [The western tip of the spit on which Callao is situated.] [There are apparently no instrumental data on the earthquake.] (reference #415)
Jan. 12, 1914, Peru. Slight earthquake felt at Callao. A small tsunami wave flooded the basement of the naval schools and general hotels at La Yunta. (reference #39)
January 12, 1914, 12 S, 76.6 W, runup height 1 m. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callao | Peru | 60 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| La Punta | Peru | 62 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1914The 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 1411.