Tsunamis in 1963

September 24, 1963 Tsunami: Central Peru

September 24, 1963 · 1 death · Questionable tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Central Peru on September 24, 1963 at 16:30:16 UTC. It killed 1 person, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.

Where the waves reached

The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.

  • Under 1 m
  • 1 to 3 m
  • 3 to 10 m
  • 10 to 30 m
  • 30 m and more
  • Height not recorded

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date
September 24, 1963, 16:30:16 UTC
Source
Central Peru
Cause
Earthquake
Runups recorded
0
Waters
Ocean
How certain
Questionable tsunami
Source location
10.385° S, 78.022° W

The toll

Deaths
1 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Houses damaged
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.

September 24, 1963, 16:30 UTC, 10.6 S, 78 W, magnitude 7.0 MS, depth 80 km. (reference #164)

More

Every tsunami in 1963The 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 1945.