December 26, 1948 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Northern Chile on December 26, 1948 at 07:12:21 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
The tsunami
- Date
- December 26, 1948, 07:12:21 UTC
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 100 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 22.500° S, 69.000° 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.
December 26, 1948, 07:12:21 UTC, 22.5 S, 69 W, magnitude 7 MS, depth 100 km, event validity likely. There was an earthquake felt along the coast of Chile between 22 deg and 23 deg; it had an intensity of 7 degrees. At Antofagasta, the intensity was 5-6 degrees, at Copiapo 4 degrees. The earthquake was felt in a radius of 450 km. There was a tsunami at Tocopilla. (reference #415)
December 26, 1948, 07:12 UTC, 22.5 S, 69 W, magnitude 6.2 MS. (reference #164)
December 26, 1948, 07:12 UTC, 22.5 S, 69 W, magnitude 7.0 MS, runup height 0.7 m, tsunami magnitude -0.5, tsunami intensity 0, Northern Chile. (reference #552)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tocopilla | Chile | 132 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1948The 1900sTsunamis of ChileThe 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 1786.