July 28, 1957 Tsunami: S. Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake began at S. Mexico on July 28, 1957 at 08:40:01 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places. It killed 65 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
- July 28, 1957, 08:40:01 UTC
- Source
- S. Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.9, 25 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.3 m (4.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 16.500° N, 99.100° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 65 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $25 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
1957, July 28, 2:40 [local time]. There was a destructive magnitude 7.5 earthquake with source near San Marcos [16o 21' N, 99o 13' W, depth 25 km]. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami, which was registered by the tide gauges at Acapulco, Salina Cruz and Manzanillo. The tide gauge at Manzanillo, which registered the start of the wave, stopped due to a faulty mechanism. The tsunami was not registered by other tide gauge stations on the coast of Mexico. (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 | 93 | 1.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 08:53 | ||
| Salina Cruz | Mexico | 419 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 10:47 | ||
| Manzanillo | Mexico | 622 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1957The 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 1870.