December 4, 1948 Tsunami: Mexico

Marias Islands, off Mexico, December 3, 1948.--A violent earthquake and tidal wave struck the Marias Islands (Las Tres Marias) killing at least four persons and injuring others. (reference #13642)

On December 4, 1948 at 00:22:48 UTC [22N, 106.5W, magnitude 7.7] the Las Tres Marias Islands were hit by destructive earthquakes and a tsunami. At least four people died and several persons were injured. Considerable material damage was done on Maria Madre Island (the largest of the islands). [listed as likely tsunami with date of 03 Dec local time] (reference #415)

December 3, 1948, No tsunami was registered or observed anywhere, and press reports do not mention any, however some authors estimated wave heights between 2 m and 5 m. [listed as probable tsunami] (reference #369)

On 3 December, a sequence of earthquakes started. Jaramillo and Suarez (2011) stated that the earthquake of 4 December was the largest in the history of the Tres Marias Islands Escarpment, which is located along the northern segment of the Rivera–North American plate boundary. Besides the destruction of most buildings in the prison, and houses located on Santa María Island, 2 people died and 25 were injured (El Informador, 1948). Moreover, a tsunami struck the islands (Seismological Notes, 1949; Soloviev and Go, 1975). (reference #13627)

NOTE: Reference #369 says “No tsunami was registered or observed anywhere, and press reports do not mention any”; however, the Spanish version of the document says “El tsunami no fue registrado ni observado en ningun otro lugar…” which translates to "The tsunami was not recorded or observed anywhere else…". Reference #11802 agrees with this translation. Reference #369 also provides a validity of “likely” tsunami and cites Ref #415 and Ref #3722, both of which provide “likely” or "probable" tsunami validities.