M5.7 earthquake 98 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 98 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados on Tue, Aug 11, 1987, 11:09 PM AST (03:09 UTC), 52 km (33 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-08-12 03:09:59 UTC
- Depth
- 52.4 km (32.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.089° N, 59.257° W
- Region
- Barbados
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.64 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.6 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
| 5.72 | Me, energy | Choy, USGS energy magnitude | Reviewed |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (III) on Martinique. Also felt on Barbados and St. Vincent. Depth from broadband displacement seismograms. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=355 Dip=71 Slip=173 NP2:Strike=87 Dip=83 Slip=19 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=18 Azm=313 (P) Plg=9 Azm=220 Comment: The focal mechanism is well controlled and corresponds to strike-slip faulting with a small normal component. The preferred fault plane is not determined. RADIATED ENERGY No. of sta: 5 Focal mech. M Energy 9.7+3.1*10**12 Nm MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 62 No. of sta: 7 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=0.13 Mtt=0.48 Mff=-0.61 Mrt=0.63 Mrf=0.18 Mtf=2.35 Principal axes: (T) Val=2.50 Plg=14 Azm=322 (N) Val=0.00 Plg=74 Azm=120 (P) Val=-2.50 Plg=6 Azm=231 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.5*10**17 NP1:Strike=6 Dip=76 Slip=174 NP2:Strike=97 Dip=84 Slip=14 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 18S, 38C Centroid Location: Origin Time 03:10: 1.5 0.3 Lat 14.12N 0.03 Lon 59.08W 0.02 Dep 15.0 FIX Half-duration 2.4 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-0.80 0.08 Mtt=-2.52 0.09 Mff=3.32 0.10 Mrt=0.00 0.00 Mrf=0.00 0.00 Mtf=1.91 0.08 Principal Axes: (T) Val=3.89 Plg=0 Azm=107 (N) Val=-0.80 Plg=90 Azm=180 (P) Val=-3.09 Plg=0 Azm=17 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.5*10**17 NP1:Strike=152 Dip=90 Slip=180 NP2:Strike=242 Dip=90 Slip=0
From the USGS event page for usp00037fc. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayBarbados earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00037fc (also filed as choy19870812030959, gcmtb081287b, gcmt19870812030959, iscgem459565). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:18 PM UTC.