August 14, 1978 Tsunami: Cadiz, Spain
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake began at Cadiz, Spain on August 14, 1978 at 14:17:50 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.12 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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 14, 1978, 14:17:50 UTC
- Source
- Cadiz, Spain
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4.4, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.12 m (0.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 36.370° N, 6.980° 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.
August 14, 1978, 14:17:50 UTC, 36.367 N, 5.017 W, depth 31 km, magnitude 5.1, Cadiz, Spain. Maximum amplitude of the tide gauge record of Cadiz is 0.12 m. Tsunami intensity 1. Event reliability 4 (definite tsunami). (reference #4139)
Earthquake parameters from Carrilho et al. (2004). Focal depth by NEIC database. The shock occurred in the Gulf of Cadiz, in front of the Spanish coast. No tsunami signals have been recorded in the Portuguese tide gauges (reference #4649) The tide-gauge record of Cadiz (available at the Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia) show maximum amplitude of the record is 0.12 m. (reference #11164)
While reported by Campos (1992) it was not recorded in any of the tide stations of Portugal mainland: Cascais, Lagos, Figueira da Foz, Setubal- Troia. This fact and the small magnitude of the event 4.9 (according to Carrilho et al., 2004) lead us to eliminate this entry of the Portuguese catalog. The signal was recorded in Cadiz (Campos, 1992) with amplitude 0.12m peak to peak. (reference #4649)
August 14, 1978, 14:17:50 UTC, depth 31 km, magnitude 5, Cadiz, Spain. (reference #12955)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadiz | Spain | 64 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1978The 1900sTsunamis of SpainThe 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 4277.