December 12, 1953 Tsunami: N. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at N. Peru on December 12, 1953 at 17:31:25 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 6 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 12, 1953, 17:31:25 UTC
- Source
- N. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 3.400° S, 80.600° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 6 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 20 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
- 200 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.
On December 12, 1953, at 12:31 [local time] there was a destructive magnitude 7.3 earthquake [3.4 S, 80.6 W] in the northwest regions of Peru and the southern regions of Ecuador. A tsunami developed with an amplitude of 1 m (3 feet) at Talara and 0.2 m (0.7 feet) at La Libertad, Ecuador. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Libertad | Ecuador | 135 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 12, 17:37 | ||
| Talara | Peru | 151 | 1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1953The 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 1842.