September 3, 1967 Tsunami: Central Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Central Peru on September 3, 1967. The water rose as high as 2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
- September 3, 1967
- Source
- Central Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 10.600° S, 79.800° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
September 3, 1967 (21h07m31s; 10.6 S., 79.8 W.; 38 km; magnitude=6.9), there was an earthquake in Peru, felt at Lima. The tsunami was registered at La Punta at 22:00 with a height of 30 cm and at Chimbote. (reference #415)
September 3, 1967, 20:07 UTC, 10.6 S, 79.8 W, magnitude 7, depth 40 km, maximum runup height 2 m, tsunami magnitude 1.0, tsunami intensity 1.5. (reference #552)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chimbote | Peru | 212 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | ||||
| Callao LA Punta | Peru | 330 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1967The 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 1990.