August 12, 1881 Earthquake: Kingston, Jamaica
An earthquake struck Kingston, Jamaica on August 12, 1881. 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
- August 12, 1881
- Place
- Kingston, Jamaica
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 17.970° N, 76.800° W
- Country
- Jamaica
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.
A well-marked double-shock was reported with a 1-second vertical shock, then in 3 seconds, a 4-second horizontal shock. A wave was reported from the north coast and after six hours, the water rose at Kingston Harbor. It is possible that tsunami effects may not be related to the reported earthquake (Berninghausen, 1964). Lander et. al (2002) suggests the effects at Kingston Harbor might be related to a submarine landslide. O'Loughlin and Lander (2003) suggest that a hurricane in Cuba may have triggered a seaquake.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 7, 1692, Port Royal, Jamaica
- January 14, 1907, Kingston, Jamaica
- October 3, 1780, Savanna LA Mar, Jamaica
- February 19, 1893, Kingston, Jamaica
- November 11, 1812, Kingston, Jamaica
- February 19, 1688, Port Royal, Jamaica
- June 14, 1899, Jamaica
- November 12, 1988, St Andrew, Jacks Hill, Jamaica
- April 10, 1824, Kingston, Jamaica
- February 16, 1896, Kingston, Jamaica
- 1677, Port Royal, Jamaica
- March 1, 1688, Port Royal, Jamaica
- September 3, 1771, Port Royal,kingston, Jamaica
- August 1, 1781, Unknown Location, Jamaica
- 1667, Jamaica
More
Significant earthquakes of 1881The 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 6202.