March 20, 2012 Tsunami: S. Mexico

Name: March 20, 2012 Tsunami: S. Mexico
Start: 2012-03-20
Location: S. Mexico

March 20, 2012 · 0.2 m · 2 deaths · $600 million · 800 houses destroyed · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at S. Mexico on March 20, 2012 at 18:02:47 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. 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

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date: March 20, 2012, 18:02:47 UTC
Source: S. Mexico
Cause: Earthquake
Earthquake: Magnitude 7.4, 20 km deep
Maximum water height: 0.2 m (0.7 ft)
Runups recorded: 2
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Definite tsunami
Source location: 16.493° N, 98.231° W

The toll

Deaths: 2 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Injuries: 13 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Damage: $600 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Houses destroyed: 800 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
Acapulco	Mexico	182	0.2		Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)
Lazaro Cardenas	Mexico	449	0.07		Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height)

Every tsunami in 2012 The 2000s Tsunamis of Mexico The earthquake This day in weather history Alerts 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 5447.