May 31, 1970 Tsunami: N. Peru

Name: May 31, 1970 Tsunami: N. Peru
Start: 1970-05-31
Location: N. Peru

May 31, 1970 · 0.46 m · 66,794 deaths · $530 million · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake began at N. Peru on May 31, 1970 at 20:23:27 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.46 meters. Its effects were recorded at 15 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 66,794 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date: May 31, 1970, 20:23:27 UTC
Source: N. Peru
Cause: Earthquake
Earthquake: Magnitude 7.9, 43 km deep
Maximum water height: 0.46 m (1.5 ft)
Runups recorded: 15
Tsunami magnitude (Iida): 0.8
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Definite tsunami
Source location: 9.200° S, 78.800° W

The toll

Deaths: 66,794 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Injuries: 50,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage: $530 million 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 May 31, 1970, at 15:23 [local time] a catastrophic earthquake occurred in Peru. Weak tsunamis, produced by the earthquake, were observed along the Peruvian coast. In Chimbote, a 76 cm high wave was recorded; in La Punta (Callao region), the height was 61 cm. Tsunami waves were observed on the Japanese coast. (reference #417)

[At Chimbote tide gauge] total peak-to-trough amplitude of the tsunami did not exceed 3 ft. No flooding occurred because the peak of the tsunami remained below the high-tide level at all times [...] The tsunami was also recorded on the tide gage at Callao (La Punta) [...] No tsunami was observed at the stations at Talara, San Juan, and Mataraui. (reference #12952)

Reference #552 lists a maximum runup height of 1.8 m but that value cannot be confirmed with any other reference.

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	Measured by
Chimbote	Peru	24	0.46	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Callao LA Punta	Peru	364	0.15	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Hanasaki	Japan	14,301	0.06	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Tokachiko	Japan	14,514	0.06	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Hiroo	Japan	14,516	0.05	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Hachinohe	Japan	14,742	0.02	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Ayukawa	Japan	14,866	0.07	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Onahama	Japan	14,984	0.03	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Mera	Japan	15,173	0.04	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Enoshima	Japan	15,181	0.03	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Omaezaki	Japan	15,319	0.04	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Kushimoto	Japan	15,577	0.04	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Murotomisaki	Japan	15,718	0.05	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Tosa-Shimizu	Japan	15,843	0.07	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Aburatsu	Japan	16,036	0.05	Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)

Photos

From the NCEI/WDS Natural Hazards Image Database (doi:10.7289/V5154F01). Only photos by the USGS and NOAA, which are public domain, are shown.

Every tsunami in 1970 The 1900s Tsunamis of Peru The earthquake This day in weather history Alerts 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 2021.