December 10, 1950 Tsunami: S. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at S. Peru on December 10, 1950 at 02:50:42 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.7 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 4 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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 10, 1950, 02:50:42 UTC
- Source
- S. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 80 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.7 m (2.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 14.250° S, 77.750° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 4 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 12 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100) 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.
According to reports, the sea encroached 5 m inland at Pisco port. (reference #415)
December 10, 1950, 02:50 UTC, 14.6 S, 76.3 W, depth 80 km, magnitude 7.0 MS, 0.7 m runup. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pisco | Peru | 176 | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1950The 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 1812.