October 27, 1787 Earthquake: Montego Bay, Jamaica
An earthquake struck Montego Bay, Jamaica on October 27, 1787. 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
- October 27, 1787
- Place
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 18.470° N, 77.920° W
- Country
- Jamaica
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
This may be a seaquake. Vessels at Montego Bay harbor were agitated (Lander et. al, 2002). Rubio (1982) said, "...the earth undulated slightly and then shook for some time."
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
- April 27, 1861, Kingston, Jamaica
- 1667, Jamaica
- February 19, 1687, Jamaica
- August 1, 1781, Unknown Location, Jamaica
- June 14, 1899, Jamaica
- February 19, 1688, Port Royal, Jamaica
- May 25, 1992, Pilon, Manzanillo, Cuba
- November 11, 1812, Kingston, Jamaica
- August 12, 1881, Kingston, Jamaica
- February 19, 1893, Kingston, Jamaica
- January 28, 2020, Granma, Cayman Is, Jamaica, Cuba
- November 12, 1988, St Andrew, Jacks Hill, Jamaica
More
Significant earthquakes of 1787The 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 6029.