November 12, 1996 Tsunami: S. Peru
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at S. Peru on November 12, 1996 at 16:59:44 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 places in at least 3 countries. It killed 14 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
- November 12, 1996, 16:59:44 UTC
- Source
- S. Peru
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 14.993° S, 75.675° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 14 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 624 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 4,006 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 11,071 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callao LA Punta | Peru | 362 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Arica | Chile | 689 | 0.18 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Caldera | Chile | 1,428 | 0.11 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 12,130 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 13, 10:36 |
More
Every tsunami in 1996The 1900sTsunamis of PeruThe 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 2269.