May 16, 1851 Earthquake: Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe

A violent earthquake in Guadeloupe damaged the buildings of the sugar mills and their workers’ housing. A large number of chimneys collapsed, especially in the Capesterre region to the south (Feuillard, 1985). Perrey (1852) extends the damage to Goyave and Petit-Bourg, which is consistent with the first reference cited. Apart from a few injuries, losses were estimated at 21,600 francs. (reference #124)

A few years later, the 16 May 1851 struck the Guadeloupe archipelago with a maximum intensity of VII in southern Basse‐Terre. Following Feuillard [1985] and Bernard and Lambert [1988], the epicentral area was located offshore at shallow depth between Marie‐ Galante and Basse‐Terre. In this area the seafloor is cut by the several tens kilometers long E‐W striking Morne‐Piton normal fault system (MPF) that crosses the islands of Basse‐ Terre and Marie‐Galante [Feuillet, 2000; Feuillet et al., 2004a]. This event probably ruptured a segment of the Morne‐Piton fault system between the two islands (reference #13355)