November 14, 2007 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Northern Chile on November 14, 2007 at 15:40:50 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.28 meters. Its effects were recorded at 7 places in at least 3 countries. It killed 2 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 14, 2007, 15:40:50 UTC
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.28 m (0.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 7
- Warning
- Regional Tsunami Warning issued by PTWC for areas without a warning system
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 22.247° S, 69.890° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 2 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 65 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 1,000) 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.
According to the USGS summary of the event, tsunami
wave heights in centimeters (peak-to-trough) were
recorded at the following tide stations: 25.5 at Antofagasta,
19.5 at Arica, 9.5 at Caldera and 19.3 at Iquique.
(reference #4953)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antofagasta | Chile | 164 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 15:45 | ||
| Iquique | Chile | 228 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 16:11 | ||
| Arica | Chile | 420 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 16:37 | ||
| Caldera | Chile | 542 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 16:19 | ||
| D32401 Bpr, W-Sw of Arica, Chile | Chile | 593 | 0.02 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 16:21 | ||
| D32412 Bpr, SW of Lima, Peru | Peru | 1,788 | 0.01 | Deep ocean gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 14, 17:56 | ||
| Port Vila, Efate Island | Vanuatu | 12,296 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2007The 2000sTsunamis 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 3293.