March 14, 1979 Tsunami: S. Mexico
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at S. Mexico on March 14, 1979 at 11:07:16 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.3 meters. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 5 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
- March 14, 1979, 11:07:16 UTC
- Source
- S. Mexico
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6, 49 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.3 m (4.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -3.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 17.813° N, 101.276° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 5 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 35 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $30 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 200 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 March 14, 1979, a strong earthquake occurred not far from Petatlan (Mexico). It generated a weak tsunami which was recorded by the underwater (ocean bottom) tide gauge located 980 km northwest of the epicenter at the exit from the Gulf of California to the Pacific Ocean and sits at a depth of 3,210 m. The wave height was 1 cm, the-period was 1.5 hr, and the travel 128 time was 1.5 hr. The high frequency waves were recorded with a period of 2-4 min. The 0.1 cm amplitude represents the long surface seismic waves. (reference #417)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acapulco | Mexico | 182 | 1.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 11:23 | ||
| Manzanillo | Mexico | 351 | 0.42 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 11:48 | ||
| Pago Pago, American Samoa, AS | US Territories | 8,405 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1979The 1900sTsunamis of MexicoThe 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 2112.