October 4, 1983 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Northern Chile on October 4, 1983 at 18:52:13 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. 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
- October 4, 1983, 18:52:13 UTC
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 15 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -2.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 26.535° S, 70.563° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 5 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 12 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $1 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 40 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 October 4, 1983, at 18;52 UTC, a strong earthquake, measuring 7.4 (Richter) jolted northern Chile. The quake was located near 25.9 S and 70 W, south of Antofagasta. A 150 cm drop in sea level was reported at Chanaral, Chile, near the epienter. This might have been caused by the uplift of the land. A 10 cm to 20 cm change of water level was reported at Valparaiso at 2040 UTC, 2120 UTC and 2150 UTC. There were no tsunami reports from Talcahuano, Antofagasta or Arica. (reference #3332)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valparaiso | Chile | 727 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1983The 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 2149.