August 19, 1919 Tsunami: Lago DE Maracaibo, Venezuela
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Lago DE Maracaibo, Venezuela on August 19, 1919. 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
- August 19, 1919
- Source
- Lago DE Maracaibo, Venezuela
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- A lake or river, not the ocean
- How certain
- An event that only caused a seiche
- Source location
- 10.600° N, 71.600° W
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #11659 states that Singer et al. (1983) [reference #410], states that at Muelle the water from Lake Maracaibo inundated 7 m inland, resulting in damage to 55 boats and destroyed a schooner carrying 1260 bags of coffee. Note: this statement by Singer et al. (1983) not confirmed.
Reference #11659 cites El Nuevo Diario which states “Lara.- El 19 de corriente, a las 5 y 3 cuartos pm se sintio aqui un rapido pero ruidoso temblor de tierra. Los techos se zarandearon con estruendo y causo la natural alarma.” (“Temblor”, El Nuevo Diario, August 29, 1919, p. 7). As a result, the authors of ref #11659 state the event is possibly a seiche.
Reference #12345 lists this event as validity 3 (probable tsunami). (accessed August 2024)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muelle, Lago Maracaibo | Venezuela | 7 | 7 | Other |
More
Every tsunami in 1919The 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 5625.