June 22, 1932 Tsunami: Central Mexico

1932, June 22. There was a destructive earthquake at Colima, with numerous recurrent aftershocks. The associated tsunami was the most destructive of all those produced in the Mesoamerican Trench in this century, and destroyed the resort of Cuyutlan, Col. A 10 m wave caused the death of more than 75 people and more than 100 were injured. The extension of the horizontal inland flood was 1 km, and the water reached the railroad tracks. Material damages were estimated at beween 2 and 6 million pesos (3.65 pesos to the dollar). Hotels and private houses by the beach were totally destroyed. The main street lost all its cobblestones, and some people were buried in the sand. The sea avalanche rushed over the houses, invading the main street. The population ran for cover, but some persons were caught by the waves and disappeared in them, screaming in terror. Not a single house was left standing in a stretch 20 km long and 1 km wide.

A section of the railroad track between Cuyutlan and Manzanillo was obstructed by sand, trees and bushes dragged by the tsunami. This phenomenon hit a 25 km extension from Ventanas (Manzanillo), to Salinas de Guasango (Tecoman). In Tenancingo, the tsunami also caused some casualties. Cuyutlan was invaded by two tsunami waves of less intensity: one during the night of June 22nd, and the other shortly after nine o'clock in the morning of the 23rd. That time, the water only reached the main square in the resort, approximately 500 m from the coast. This phenomenon was also registered in Salinas de Guasanog, Tecualillo and El Real.

(above ref #369)

Reference #1143 describes this earthquake as June 22, 1932 in the text but incorrectly lists the earthquake as June 12, 1932 in the table.

1932, June 22. Mexico, Cayutlan. Severely damaged by wave at Cayutlan. Some damage at Manzanillo. Some persons and smaller buildings carried out to sea. (ref #132)

22 June 1932. Severe damage by wave at Cayutlan. Some damage at Manzanillo. Some persons and smaller buildings carried out of the sea. (ref #82)

This earthquake produced the most destructive tsunami in the history of Mexico, which completely swept away the sector between Cuyutlan and Boca de Apiza, Colima. The seawater flooded 500–3000 m inland with waves of 12 m height (Las Noticias, 1932; Ordoñez, 1933) killing ∼50 people (Corona and Ramírez-Herrera, 2012a,b). “The water incursion lasted about 2 hours…” (El Universal, 1932a) and injured many people. The tsunami disturbed the Cuyutlan lagoon, affecting salt extraction. Most of the houses and hotels were destroyed at Cuyutlan. “…an immense maritime wave … flooded more than 1 km [inland] from Manzanillo until Tecoman…,” Colima (El Universal, 1932b). Eyewitness described it as the “water receded… and a sea wall rather than a wave… was formed offshore, about 300 to 400 m from the beach…” (El Universal, 1932c). The Tecoman coast was “also hit by the surge damage” (El Universal, 1932d); the tsunami was reported as far south as Guazongo, with damage to Tecuanillo and El Real (El Universal, 1932e). North from Cuyutlan, the tsunami was reported in Barra de Navidad and Santiago Hacienda (El Universal, 1932f ). Corona and Ramírez-Herrrera (2012a) estimate the tsunami intensity as VIII in Cuyutlan (in the Papadopoulus and Imamura scale) from historical data analysis that was supported by tsunami modeling. “Two new sea waves have invaded the town: one yesterday night [June, 22] and the other this morning [June, 23] after 9 o’clock with less intensity because waters didn’t passed further than the main dune, just reaching the roundabout” (El Universal, 1932g). (ref #13627)

It vas reported that the tsunami damaged an area twenty kilometers in length and one kilometer deep, causing not only a loss of property valued at two million pesos, but also thirty deaths and injuries to more than one hundred persons (ref #13641)