Tsunamis in Colombia

In a total of 7 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1906 a total of 68 people died in Colombia. Compared to other countries, Tsunamis therefore occur rather rarely.

The strongest tidal wave registered in Colombia so far reached a height of 50 meters. At this Tsunami on 07/19/2017 a total of 9 people have been killed.

The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 01/31/1906. A tidal wave of up to 17 meters killed 33 humans and destroyed vast areas.

Other natural hazards in Colombia:
› Volcanos
› Earthquake
› The most severe natural disasters worldwide

Back to overview: Colombia

The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 120 years.

Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes or other seismic eruptions on ground of an oceans and can cause massive tidal waves, which run with enormous force on land, causing great devastation. Especially in regions with only few tsunamis, the damage is often drastic, as the population does not expect tsunamis and thus hardly takes any protective measures. Even relatively small flood waves can lead to high losses and financial damage.

The largest tsunamis in Colombia since 1906

Date	Cause	max wave height	Deaths
07/19/2017	Landslide in Colombia (Off The Coast Near Santa Marta)	50m	9
12/12/1979	Earthquake in Colombia (Colombia: Off Shore, Pacific Ocean) with a magnitude of 7.7. The tsunami caused damages in 6 further countries. A total of 600 humans died.	39m	13
03/28/1964	Earthquake, landslide in the United States (Prince William Sound, Ak) with a magnitude of 9.2. The tsunami caused damages in 27 further countries. A total of 124 humans died.	45m	6
05/22/1960	Earthquake in Chile (Southern Chile) with a magnitude of 9.5. The tsunami caused damages in 31 further countries. A total of 2,226 humans died.	unknown	4
01/19/1958	Earthquake in Ecuador (Colombia-Ecuador) with a magnitude of 7.6.	unknown	1
04/01/1946	Earthquake, landslide in the United States (Unimak Island, Ak) with a magnitude of 8.6. The tsunami caused damages in 11 further countries. A total of 167 humans died.	unknown	2
01/31/1906	Earthquake in Ecuador (Off Coast) with a magnitude of 8.8. The tsunami caused damages in 7 further countries. A total of 1,000 humans died.	17m	33

These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Global Historical Tsunami Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated.