February 19, 1688 Earthquake: Port Royal, Jamaica
An earthquake struck Port Royal, Jamaica on February 19, 1688.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 19, 1688
- Place
- Port Royal, Jamaica
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 17.917° N, 76.867° W
- Country
- Jamaica
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
There is confusion as to the date, possibly because of the Gregorian calendar; alternate date might be March 1. A witness from 1694 (Sloane) reported an event on Feb 19, but not on March 1.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 7, 1692, Port Royal, Jamaica
- January 14, 1907, Kingston, Jamaica
- October 3, 1780, Savanna LA Mar, Jamaica
- August 12, 1881, Kingston, Jamaica
- February 19, 1893, Kingston, Jamaica
- November 11, 1812, Kingston, Jamaica
- June 14, 1899, Jamaica
- November 12, 1988, St Andrew, Jacks Hill, Jamaica
- February 16, 1896, Kingston, Jamaica
- April 10, 1824, Kingston, Jamaica
- August 1, 1781, Unknown Location, Jamaica
- 1677, Port Royal, Jamaica
- March 1, 1688, Port Royal, Jamaica
- September 3, 1771, Port Royal,kingston, Jamaica
- 1667, Jamaica
More
Significant earthquakes of 1688The 1600sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1109.