August 23, 1965 Tsunami: Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Mexico on August 23, 1965 at 19:46:02 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 6 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
- August 23, 1965, 19:46:02 UTC
- Source
- Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8
- Maximum water height
- 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 16.300° N, 95.800° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 6 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- 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.
August 23,1965. This earthquake of magnitude Ms=7.3 and
epicenter located at 16.3 N, 95.8 W caused moderate
damage in Oaxaca City and Pochutla. Six people
died. The tsunami was registered in Acapulco with a
maximum height of 0.40 m. (reference #369)
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 | 442 | 0.4 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1965The 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 1975.