September 5, 1996 Tsunami: Easter Island Region, Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake began at Easter Island Region, Chile on September 5, 1996 at 08:14:14 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.09 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 5, 1996, 08:14:14 UTC
- Source
- Easter Island Region, Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.9, 10 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.09 m (0.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -3.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 22.118° S, 113.436° 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.
Largest earthquake and only known tsunamigenic earthquake from East Pacific Rise.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easter Island | Chile | 688 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Juan Fernandez Islands | Chile | 3,618 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1996The 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 2266.