November 30, 1823 Earthquake: Saint Pierre Harbor, Martinique
An earthquake struck Saint Pierre Harbor, Martinique on November 30, 1823. 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
- November 30, 1823
- Place
- Saint Pierre Harbor, Martinique
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 14.400° N, 61.100° W
- Country
- Martinique
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with its tsunami and other effects
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.
At 2:45 local time a strong earthquake was followed by a tsunami at 3:10 local time that caused damage in Saint-Pierre Harbor. (#537)
1823 Nov 30, La Martinique: Strong shock felt at Saint-Pierre. The sea rose after the shock and caused some damage in the harbor. (reference #43)
1823 Nov 30, Island of Martinique. A strong undulation. The sea rose after the shock and occasioned some damage in the harbours. Preceded by a very intense noise. The heat had been suffocating during the day. Abundant rain followed the earthquake and lasted ten days. (reference #1879)
Note: Heck (Reference #132) cited the 1824 information from Mallet, but gave it a date of 1823.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 12, 1788, Saint Lucia
- January 11, 1839, Fort-De-France, St Pierre, Castries, Martinique
- November 29, 2007, Martinique
- November 21, 2004, Basse-Terre, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe
- August 25, 1766, Saint-Pierre, Martinique
- September 1702, Martinique
- November 7, 1727, Martinique
- April 24, 1767, Martinique & Barbados
- November 30, 1824, Saint Pierre, Martinique
- November 30, 1827, Martinique
- February 16, 1906, Castries, Saint Lucia
- December 3, 1906, Martinique
- April 1765, Dominica
- August 30, 1844, Kingstown, Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- February 14, 2005, Guadeloupe
More
Significant earthquakes of 1823The 1800sRecent 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 6072.