April 19, 1955 Tsunami: Central Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Central Chile on April 19, 1955 at 20:24:05 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. Its effects were recorded at 7 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 1 person.
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
- April 19, 1955, 20:24:05 UTC
- Source
- Central Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 30.000° S, 72.000° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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 April 19, 1955, there was an earthquake in central Chile with aftershocks. A tsunami occurred. At Coquimbo, the lower districts of the city were flooded. The water advanced 100 m at Tongoi, and 170 m at La Serena. The rise of water reached 1 m (3 feet) above the usual flood tide level at Coquimbo, La Serena and Tongoi. At the latter two points, there was some damage; one person died; the crop was damaged at La Serena. It is possible that the tsunami was observed in the Arica Region with an amplitude of 0.5 m. (reference #415)
Reference #45 lists April 19, 1955, 20:24:05 UTC, 30 S, 72 W, depth 30 km, magnitude 7.0, one killed, and extensive damage from water waves at La Serena and Tongoy.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tongoy | Chile | 55 | 1 | 100 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||
| Coquimbo | Chile | 64 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| La Serena | Chile | 72 | 1 | 170 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 1 | |
| Arica | Chile | 1,288 | 0.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 10,451 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 10,644 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 10,792 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1955The 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 1849.