Significant earthquakes of 1864

June 27, 1864 Earthquake: Off Coast SW Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada

June 27, 1864

An earthquake struck Off Coast SW Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada on June 27, 1864 at 22:30 UTC. 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
June 27, 1864
Time
22:30 UTC
Place
Off Coast SW Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada
Epicenter
46.500° N, 53.700° W
Country
Canada
Region
North America and Hawaii

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.

Entry from the Geological Survey of Canada earthquake database (Reference #2043). Location of the epicenter is off the coast of the Avalon Peninsula. The earthquake produced a local tsunami at Saint Shotts, Newfoundland. Reference #3056 also had the original entry, but with an incorrect date, which was explained in Reference #3930. Reference #1831 says there "is also one report of a felt earthquake on the Avalon [Peninsula] at the same time."

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

  1. #3056 Smith, W.E.T. (1962). Earthquakes of Eastern Canada and Adjacent Areas, 1534-1927, Publications of the Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Vol. 26, p. 269-301.
  2. #3930 Adams, John and Michael Staveley (1985). Historical Seismicity of Newfoundland. Seismological Service of Canada, Earth Physics Branch Open File No. 85-22, Ottawa, Canada, 73 p.
  3. #1831 Ruffman, A, and M.P. Tuttle (2005). Tsunamis of Eastern Canada and New England: the primary historical record. Proceedings of the 12th Canadian Coastal Conference, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, November 6-9, 2005. Abstract.
  4. #2043 Geological Survey of Canada (1568-1992). Database compiled by the Earth Physics Branch (EPB) of Canada, now the Geological Survey of Canada. Also includes U.S. earthquakes occurring near the Canadian border. Online via an earthquake search at: http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/epic/epic_global.html

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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 7161.