December 28, 1966 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Northern Chile on December 28, 1966 at 08:18:07 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.42 meters. Its effects were recorded at 13 places in at least 6 countries. It killed 3 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
- December 28, 1966, 08:18:07 UTC
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 47 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.42 m (1.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 13
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 25.500° S, 70.700° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 3 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 6 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $400,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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 December 28, 1966, at 4:18 [local time] there was a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in the north of Chile (25.5 S, 70.6 W, depth 47 km), which did substantial material damage in the Taltal region; three people died and at least six were injured. A tsunami arose. At Caldera the oscillations in sea level had a range of 84 cm; at Antofagasta, 45 cm; at Arica, 30 cm; at Matarani, Chimbote, on the Easter and Wake Islands, 10 cm; at San Juan (Peru) and on the Galapagos Islands, 20 cm; at Kahului and Hilo, 30 cm. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caldera | Chile | 174 | 0.42 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Antofagasta | Chile | 207 | 0.22 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Arica | Chile | 779 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Matarani | Peru | 952 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| San Juan | Peru | 1,216 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Chimbote | Peru | 2,001 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Galapagos Islands | Ecuador | 3,396 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Easter Island | Chile | 3,850 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Christmas Island, Line Islands | Kiribati | 9,786 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 10,312 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hilo, Hawaii, HI, HI | United States | 10,399 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kahului, Maui, HI, HI | United States | 10,589 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Wake Island, UM | US Territories | 14,132 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1966The 1900sTsunamis of ChileThe 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 1984.