Significant earthquakes of 1864

May 19, 1864 Earthquake: Jacmel, Haiti

May 19, 1864

An earthquake struck Jacmel, Haiti on May 19, 1864. 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
May 19, 1864
Place
Jacmel, Haiti
Epicenter
18.200° N, 72.530° W
Country
Haiti

The toll

Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

May 19, 1864, West Indies, Haiti, Jacmel, intensity II which corresponds to buildings may be unroofed or shattered and some may fall, the ground may be badly cracked in places and small landslips occur. (reference #1055)

May 19, 1864, 18.1 N, 72.3 W, Jacmel, Haiti. An earthquake was felt at the port of Jacmel. Many houses were destroyed along the coast of Haiti. The shocks, felt heavily in the harbor by the vessel, George Prescot, may have produced a wave. (reference #1492)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1864The 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 2085.