February 7, 1959 Tsunami: N. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at N. Peru on February 7, 1959 at 09:36:51 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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
- February 7, 1959, 09:36:51 UTC
- Source
- N. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 19 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 4.000° S, 81.500° W
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) 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.
February 7, 1959, 4:38 [local time], Feb. 9 9:36:51 UTC, 4 S, 81.5 W, magnitude 7.1 MS. There was a strong earthquake on the northwest coast of Peru, between Tumbes amd Chiclayo. At Talara, light damage to several concrete homes (6 degrees). Underground rumbling and strong tremors frightened the residents at Tumbes, Paita, Piura, Talara, Sulyan, Chulucanas and Chiclayo. Some families abandoned their homes, despite the early hour. It was felt very strongly at Guayaquil. Traces of the tsunami were found on the tide gauge record at Talara. Iida's catalogue (Iida et al., 1967) notes that oscillations in level at Talara with a period of 22 minutes and an amplitude of 20 cm began an hour before the earthquake, and expresses doubt as to the actuality of the tsunami (reference #415).
February 7, 1959 09:37 UTC, 4 S, 81.5 S, magnitude 7.25-7.5 MS. Source Peru-Ecuador, tsunami observation Talara, Peru, 0.2 m, period 22 min. Oscillations shown by mareographic record mentioned by Eppley and Cloud (1961) and by Berninghausen (1962) began one hour before quake. Tsunami is questionable. (reference #79)
February 7, 1959, Peru. Epicenter 4 S., 81.5 W. Magnitude 7.25-7.5 MS. The shock was felt strongly at
Guayaquil. There was evidence of a tsunami on the tide gage at Talara. (reference #39)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talara | Peru | 69 | 0.4 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1959The 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 1887.