November 20, 1960 Tsunami: N. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at N. Peru on November 20, 1960 at 22:01:56 UTC. The water rose as high as 9 meters. Its effects were recorded at 19 places in at least 4 countries. It killed 66 people.
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
- November 20, 1960, 22:01:56 UTC
- Source
- N. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8, 93 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 9 m (29.5 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 19
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 4
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 3.2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 6.800° S, 80.700° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 66
- Injuries
- 2
- Damage
- $550,000
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.
There was an earthquake in northwest Peru, felt by a large number of residents. Several hours later, a tsunami fell on the coast of Lambayeque department. The first wave about 9 m high did material damage at Puerto Eten and Pimentel ports and in Santa Rosa and San Jose Bays; three persons died. The Lobos de Afuera Islands were completely devastated. The first was was followed by two others of similar size.
According to other sources, the Guanape Islands also suffered; 13 people died, 50 disappeared, 2 were seriously injured, and more than 800 were left homeless. The losses were estimated at more than 550,000 dollars.
The tsunami was registered at the follow tide gauge stations: Talara with an amplitude of 10 cm, Chimbote 70 cm, Callao 50 cm, Matarani 10 cm, Hilo 10 cm, with a 14-minute period.
(above from 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lobos DE Afuera | Peru | 17 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 13 | |||
| San Jose | Peru | 81 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Pimentel | Peru | 91 | 9 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Puerto Eten | Peru | 93 | 9 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 3 | ||
| Talara | Peru | 254 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Guanape | Peru | 266 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 63 | |||
| Chimbote | Peru | 341 | 0.7 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Santa Rosa | Peru | 675 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Callao LA Punta | Peru | 700 | 0.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Matarani | Peru | 1,465 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Acapulco | Mexico | 3,362 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 20, 14:18 | ||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 8,650 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 10:00 | ||
| Kushiro | Japan | 14,065 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 17:53 | ||
| Hakodate | Japan | 14,394 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 18:22 | ||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 14,404 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 18:15 | ||
| Miyagi-Enoshima | Japan | 14,516 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Onagawa | Japan | 14,526 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 14,529 | 0.17 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 18:22 | ||
| Onahama | Japan | 14,648 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 21, 18:30 |
More
Every tsunami in 1960The 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 1907.