November 11, 1840 Earthquake: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on November 11, 1840. 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 11, 1840
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (ML)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.800° N, 75.200° W
- Country
- United States
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.
On November 11, 1840, a severe shock was felt at Philadelphia, accompanied by a great and unusually sudden swell in the Delaware. On the fourteenth of the same month, there was a noise and shock observed in Philadelphia (not New Haven as Mallet has it), but the members of the American Philosophical Society could not determine whether it was caused by an earthquake or a meteor. (reference #1511)
Reference #1128 also lists shocks on November 11 and 14, 1840, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1840The 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 6514.