October 17, 1966 Tsunami: Central Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake began at Central Peru on October 17, 1966 at 21:41:56 UTC. The water rose as high as 3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 60 places in at least 8 countries. It killed 110 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
- October 17, 1966, 21:41:56 UTC
- Source
- Central Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.1, 38 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 3 m (9.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 60
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 10.748° S, 78.638° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 110 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 3,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $2 million; $35 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
October 17, 1966, 16:42 local time. There was an earthquake in Peru, causing destruction in the coastal zone approximately between 10 and 13 deg S. A strong seaquake was felt on the ships at sea. The earthquake was accompanied by a series of aftershocks, which arose rapidly one after another. A tsunami occurred. (reference #415)
October 18, 1966, 06:42 [local time Japan], 10.7 S, 78.7 W, depth 38 km, magnitude 7.8 MS, tsunami intensity -1, validity 4. (reference #150)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culebras | Peru | 106 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Huaura | Peru | 119 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Huacho | Peru | 119 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Casma | Peru | 146 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Tortuga | Peru | 155 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Puerto-Chimu | Peru | 159 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Chimbote | Peru | 184 | 1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 22:48 | ||
| Ancon | Peru | 198 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Callao LA Punta | Peru | 217 | 2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 22:33 | ||
| Trujillo | Peru | 295 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Chiquito | Peru | 318 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| San Juan | Peru | 634 | 0.38 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 22:50 | ||
| Talara | Peru | 742 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| La Libertad | Ecuador | 976 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Matarani | Peru | 988 | 0.4 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Arica | Chile | 1,238 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Galapagos Islands | Ecuador | 1,631 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Antofagasta | Chile | 1,674 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 00:04 | ||
| Caldera | Chile | 1,983 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 00:37 | ||
| Quepos | Costa Rica | 2,313 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Valparaiso | Chile | 2,569 | 0.39 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 01:17 | ||
| Talcahuano | Chile | 2,927 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 02:46 | ||
| Lebu | Chile | 3,015 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 01:53 | ||
| Salina Cruz | Mexico | 3,491 | 0.24 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 04:13 | ||
| San Diego, CA, CA | United States | 6,315 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 07:49 | ||
| Newport Bay, CA, CA | United States | 6,432 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Long Beach, CA, CA | United States | 6,465 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Los Angeles, CA, CA | United States | 6,466 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Rincon Island, CA, CA | United States | 6,592 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Avila Beach, CA, CA | United States | 6,743 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Avila Beach, CA, CA | United States | 6,743 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| San Francisco, CA, CA | United States | 7,050 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 07:49 | ||
| Crescent City, CA, CA | United States | 7,446 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 09:45 | ||
| Neah Bay, WA, WA | United States | 7,954 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 9,024 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 10:00 | ||
| Sitka, AK, AK | United States | 9,118 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 9,200 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 10:19 | ||
| Honolulu, Oahu, HI, HI | United States | 9,351 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 10:30 | ||
| Nawiliwili, Kauai, HI, HI | United States | 9,518 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 9,944 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kodiak, AK, AK | United States | 10,073 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Snug Harbor, Kenai, AK, AK | United States | 10,162 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 18:30 | ||
| Midway Islands, HI | US Territories | 11,422 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Adak, Sweeper Cove, AK, AK | United States | 11,489 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 18:30 | ||
| Attu, Massacre Bay, AK, AK | United States | 12,173 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Wake Island, UM | US Territories | 12,989 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kushiro | Japan | 14,544 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 18:00 | ||
| Urakawa | Japan | 14,702 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 18:12 | ||
| Hakodate | Japan | 14,874 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 18:20 | ||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 14,881 | 0.21 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 18:02 | ||
| Ofunato | Japan | 14,944 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Onagawa | Japan | 14,997 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 18:30 | ||
| Onahama | Japan | 15,115 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 17, 18:40 | ||
| Mera | Japan | 15,300 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 18:30 | ||
| Apra Harbor, Guam, GU | US Territories | 15,319 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Owase | Japan | 15,639 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 18:50 | ||
| Kushimoto | Japan | 15,705 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 19:00 | ||
| Shionomisaki | Japan | 15,709 | 0.1 | ||||
| Tosa-Shimizu | Japan | 15,972 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 19:10 | ||
| Aburatsu | Japan | 16,165 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 18, 19:12 |
More
Every tsunami in 1966The 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 1982.