December 14, 1950 Tsunami: S. Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake began at S. Mexico on December 14, 1950 at 14:15:49 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 countries.
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 14, 1950, 14:15:49 UTC
- Source
- S. Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.5, 50 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 16.480° N, 98.220° W
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) 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.
December 14, 1960 an earthquake with magnitude Ms=7.3 and
epicenter located at 17.2 N and 98.1 W, was felt in
the SE and center of Mexico. It generated a small tsunami which registered on the tidal gauge in Acapulco. The first wave initial elevation was 0.30 m, and the period between the first and the second wave crest was 23 minutes. This tsunami was also registered in Port Allen, in the Hawaii Islands, with a height under 0.10 m, and a 25 minutes period.
(reference #369)
1950, December 14, 8:16 [local time] a heavy earthquake in the southeast and center of Mexico did considerable damage. The earthquake generated a series of waves, which were recorded 0.3 hours later by the tide gauge at Acapulco. The peak wave had an amplitude of 30 cm and a period of 23 minutes. Other tide gauges in Mexico and Central America did not register the waves. On the Hawaiian Islands at Port Allen, a tide gauge registered a tsunami with an amplitude of less than 10 cm and a period of 25 minutes. (reference #415)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acapulco | Mexico | 184 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 14:34 | ||
| Port Allen, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 6,441 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1950The 1900sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 1813.