List of earthquakes in the Caribbean

The Caribbean Basin is located in a complex tectonic setting, shaped by the interactions of the Caribbean Plate with surrounding plates, featuring distinct zones of deformation: in the west, bordered by major transform faults such as the Oriente and Swan faults near Cuba and the Cayman Islands; in the center, marked by the Septentrional Fault and the Puerto Rico Trench, where oblique convergence and subduction occur; and in the east, defined by the active Lesser Antilles subduction zone, where the Atlantic oceanic crust descends beneath the Caribbean arc, generating intense seismic and volcanic activity.

The following is a list of major or notable earthquakes that have directly affected the Caribbean region; it includes earthquakes measuring at least 6.5 magnitude or earthquakes which have directly caused life loss, injuries or significant damage to the region.

Earthquakes DateRegionMMIDeathsInjuriesComments Source2026-06-08Cuba6.1 V–––2024-11-10Cuba6.8 VIII–102022-03-23Haiti5.1 VIII–5Some damage2021-08-14 Haiti 7.2 VIII 2,24812,763 Severe damage 2020-01-28 Jamaica, Cuba, Cayman Islands 7.7 VI – – 0.3–1 meter tsunami 2020-01-07 Puerto Rico 6.4 VIII 4 9 Strongest earthquake in a 2+ year sequence2018-10-07 Haiti 5.9 VI 18 548 2018-08-21 Venezuela, Trinidad 7.3 VII 5 122 2017-09-02Haiti4.3 IV–1Some damage2010-01-12 Haiti 7.0 X 100,000–316,000 – Extreme damage and minor damaging tsunami 2007-11-29 Martinique 7.4 VI–VII 6 402 2004-12-14Cayman Islands6.8 VI–– 2004-11-21 Guadeloupe, Dominica 6.3 VII 1 13 Non-destructive tsunami 2003-09-22 Dominican Republic 6.4 VII 3 – Dozens of injuries1997-04-22Trinidad and Tobago6.7 VII–2Damage 1994-03-02Haiti5.4 V4–Damage1993-01-13Jamaica5.5 VI1–Some damage1992-05-25Cuba6.8 VI–401985-03-16Saint Kitts & Nevis6.5 VI–– 1984-06-24 Dominican Republic 6.7 VII 5 – Limited damage / tsunami 1974-10-08 Antigua & Barbuda 6.9 VIII – 4 1971-06-11Dominican Republic6.5 V–511969-12-25Guadeloupe7.2 IV––1962-04-20Haiti6.6 VI––1953-05-31Dominican Republic6.6 VII––Some damage1953-03-19Saint Lucia7.3 VII––1948-04-21Dominican Republic7.1 VII––1947-08-06Cuba6.6 VI––1946-08-08Dominican Republic7.0 VII––Aftershock; extensive damage 1946-08-04 Dominican Republic 7.8 IX 2,550 – Extensive damage, destructive tsunami 1943-07-29 Puerto Rico 7.7 VII – – Moderate damage 1941-04-07Jamaica6.8 VI––1932-02-03Cuba6.7 VI8–12300 1918-10-11 Puerto Rico 7.1 IX 76–116 – Extensive damage, destructive tsunami 1917-07-26Dominican Republic6.8 –––1917-02-20Cuba7.1 –––1916-04-23Dominican Republic6.8 –––1914-10-03Guadeloupe7.0 –––1911-10-06Dominican Republic6.7 –––1910-01-23Trinidad & Tobago6.5 ––– 1907-01-14 Jamaica 6.2 – 800–1,000 – Tsunami 1906-12-03Martinique7.2 –––1900-10-29Venezuela7.7 IX14050+Extensive damage and tsunami1868-03-17Virgin Islands6.5 ––– 1867-11-18 Virgin Islands 7.2 X 50–100+ – Destructive tsunami 1843-02-08 Lesser Antilles 8.5 IX 1,500–5,000 – Extreme damage 1842-05-07Hispaniola7.6 IX5,300–Severe damage and destructive tsunami 1839-01-11 Martinique 7.5–8.0 IX 390–4,000 – Severe damage 1787-05-02 Puerto Rico 6.9 – – – Severe damage and tsunami 1770-06-03Haiti7.5 X250+–Severe damage and tsunami 1766-10-21 Venezuela, Trinidad 6.5–7.5 IX – – Severe damage 1766-06-11Cuba6.8 IX34–40700Extensive damage1751-11-21Haiti8.0 –––Severe damage 1692-06-07 Jamaica 7.5 – ~5,000 – Tsunami. Port Royal destroyed 1690-04-16 Antigua, Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.0 IX – – Destructive tsunami. Some deaths 1615-09-07Hispaniola7.5 –––Damage1562-12-02Hispaniola7.7 –––Concepción de la Vega destroyedNote: The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded.

See also List of earthquakes in Cuba List of earthquakes in the Dominican Republic List of earthquakes in Haiti List of earthquakes in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre

References

Sources

List of earthquakes in the Caribbean

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