Historical tsunamis · Dec 4, 1918, 11:47 AM UTC
1918 Northern Chile tsunami
Chile
The tsunami of Dec 4, 1918, 11:47 AM UTC originated near Northern Chile (Chile).
Key facts
- Date
- Dec 4, 1918, 11:47 AM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Magnitude
- M7.8
- Depth
- 33 km
- Maximum documented water height
- 5.00 m
- Deaths
- few (up to about 50)
- Houses destroyed
- many (about 101–1,000)
- Damage
- severe (about US$ 5–25 million)
- Observation records
- 4
- Countries affected
- 2
It was triggered by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake at a depth of 33 km.
The highest documented water height was 5.00 m (Caldera, Chile).
4 observation sites in 2 countries are recorded.
Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at San Francisco, Ca (United States) after 13:12 h.
The database records few (up to about 50) deaths.
Houses destroyed: many (about 101–1,000).
Damage is estimated at severe (about US$ 5–25 million).
Map of observation sites
4Each dot is a documented observation site; colour and size show the observed water height. The triangle marks the source.
Tsunami arrival times
Documented arrival times from the NOAA/NCEI database, showing the earliest recorded location per country. Coverage is incomplete: a country without an entry was not necessarily spared.
- 0:00 hEarthquake (origin) · Dec 4, 1918, 11:47 AM UTC
- 13:12 hUnited States · San Francisco, Ca
1 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chile | 1 | 5.00 m Caldera | — | — |
 United States | 3 | 0.07 m Honolulu, Oahu, Hi | — | 13:12 h |
Highest documented water heights
4 / 4Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.
| Location / station | Observed height | Distance from source | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldera · Atacama | 5.00 m | 119 km | Chile |
| Honolulu, Oahu, Hi · Hi | 0.07 m | 10,730 km | United States |
| San Diego, Ca · Ca | 0.07 m | 8,134 km | United States |
| San Francisco, Ca · Ca | — | 8,874 km | United States |
More tsunamis
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Tsunami Database. Confirmed events only. Deaths and damage are database estimates; older records are incomplete. Water heights come from different types of observation.