May 11, 1962 Tsunami: S. Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at S. Mexico on May 11, 1962 at 14:11:54 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.81 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 4 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
- May 11, 1962, 14:11:54 UTC
- Source
- S. Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.81 m (2.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 17.200° N, 99.600° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 4 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) 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
- Some (about 51 to 100) 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 May 11, 1962, at 8:12 [local time] there was a magnitude 7.2 earthquake with an intensity of 8 degrees at Acapulco [17.2 N, 99.7 W, depth 40 km] where there was destruction, four dead and many injured. A tsunami with a height of 75 cm (2.8 feet) was registered at Acapulco
(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 | 51 | 0.81 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 11, 14:20 |
More
Every tsunami in 1962The 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 1931.