April 5, 1772 Earthquake: Lisbon, Portugal
An earthquake struck Lisbon, Portugal on April 5, 1772. It caused a tsunami.
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
- April 5, 1772
- Place
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.000° N, 9.000° W
- Country
- Portugal
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
1772 April 5. Portugal, Lisbon. (reference #1055)
1772 April 5 midnight. Two violent shocks, of which the seonc and more violent lasted two minutes. The vibration appeared to be horizontal, from S. to N. This shock was also felt at 12h 6m at Cadiz, Ste Maria, San Lucar de Barameda. The weather was calm and serene, and the sky clear. Before the shocks the dogs howled and cocks crew in a melancholy manner. Then there were heard subterranean noises, with whistling sounds as if in a storm. These noises lasted as long as the shock. Very little damage was done. Pendulums were stopped by the motion. (reference #496) Note: this reference also cites a “more violent” shock on 1772 April 10 in Lisbon.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 1, 1755, Lisbon, Portugal
- January 26, 1531, Lisbon, Portugal
- January 28, 1551, Lisbon, Portugal
- 1151, Lisbon, Portugal
- December 21, 1755, Lisbon, Portugal
- November 1587, Loule, Portugal
- April 23, 1909, Ribatejo, Benavente, Portugal
- June 6, 1807, Lisbon, Portugal
- November 11, 1858, Setubal, Portugal
- March 6, 1719, Algarve, Spain, Portugal
- January 12, 1856, Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
- 1344, Lisbon, Portugal
- March 29, 1756, Lisbon, Portugal
- December 26, 1764, Lisbon, Portugal
- December 19, 1847, Lisbon, Portugal
More
Significant earthquakes of 1772The 1700sRecent 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 10994.