March 4, 1924 Tsunami: Costa Rica
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake began at Costa Rica on March 4, 1924 at 10:07:52 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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- March 4, 1924, 10:07:52 UTC
- Source
- Costa Rica
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.7, 25 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 9.587° N, 84.515° 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.
Reference #13478 lists event as probable/likely tsunami. Provided multiple reports (e.g., Diario de Costa Rica 1941 Dec 07 and La Noticia 1024 March 11) from ships of waves and agitation at sea. Also provided is a report of dead fish on the beach at Ario, but no evidence of sea retreat or inundation. At Capulin, there is a report of river (Rio Tarcoles) withdrawal and inundation of land. However, the known location of Capulin is 12km from the coast. It is possible this is a tsunami effect despite the distance.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puntarenas | Costa Rica | 55 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1924The 1900sTsunamis of Costa RicaThe 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 3746.