September 30, 1946 Tsunami: S. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at S. Peru on September 30, 1946 at 00:59:40 UTC.
Where the waves reached
The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.
- 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
- September 30, 1946, 00:59:40 UTC
- Source
- S. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 70 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 14.000° S, 76.250° W
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
September 30, 1946, 01:00 UTC, 13 S, 76 S, magnitude 7.0, depth 70 km. (reference #164)
September 30, 1946, 01:00 UTC, 13 S, 76 S, magnitude 7.0, depth 70 km. (reference #552)
More
Every tsunami in 1946The 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 1767.