These are some of the tsunamis that have been in Colombia: how serious were they?

According to the Maritime General Directorate (DIMAR) A tsunami is a series of waves that are caused by strong alterations in a body of water.

Normally these alterations are related to strong earthquakes located in the seabed or even on the coast, volcanic eruptions or land landslides.

In Colombia there are potential sources of tsunamis both in The Pacific Ocean as in the Caribbean Sea. In addition, the country can be affected by tsunamis generated at a great distance. Given this situation, the National Detection and Alert System was created by Tsunami (SNDAT), as part of the National Disaster Risk Management System.

As mentioned on the Dimar page, the National Disaster Risk Management System It is responsible for detecting and evaluating events with the potential to generate tsunamis, as well as broadcasting and disseminating alerts for the Colombian coasts.

Tsunamis in Colombia

According to the information recorded by the Colombian geological system, Colombia, being located in the call Pacific Fire Beltfaces a propitious scenario for the generation of these natural phenomena.

Especially to the sliding of the Nazca tectonic plate under the South American plaque, located on the Pacific coast, it makes the coastline an area Vulnerable to seismic events capable of triggering tsunamis.

The strongest in history

Throughout its history, Colombia has witnessed of the tsunamis of great impact in its peaceful coast. However, the first has been the strongest and most disastrous.

This event occurred on January 31, 1906, when a Magnitude earthquake 8.8 He shook the region. The waves, which according to witnesses ranged between 2 and 5 meters high, affected the coast from Bahía Solano in Colombia to Esmeraldas in Ecuador. This event left an estimated balance of more than 600 fatalities.

More than 70 years later the second occurred

On December 12, 1979, a strong earthquake of Magnitude 8.1 hit The peaceful region of Colombia.

The epicenter was located off the coast of Nariño and generated a tsunami whose waves, approximately 3 meters high, They especially impacted the population of Tumaco. The consequences were devastating: more than 450 people died, a thousand were injured, 3,000 homes were destroyed and some more affected. El Guano Islandlocated near Tumaco, disappeared as a result of the event.

These two tsunamis, which together caused more than a thousand deaths, reveal the magnitude of the risk facing the populations of the Colombian Pacific coast. Cauca and Nariño, in particular, have been The departments most beaten by these catastrophes.

The Caribbean coast?

In contrast, The Caribbean coast from Colombia He has not registered tsunamis that have directly impacted their coasts. However, this does not mean that they are exempt from risk.

In the region there have been earthquakes of moderate magnitude that could, in certain circumstances, generate tsunamis, which forces to maintain surveillance and planning against possible future scenarios.

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