Significant earthquakes of 1896

February 16, 1896 Earthquake: Kingston, Jamaica

February 16, 1896

An earthquake struck Kingston, Jamaica on February 16, 1896 at 18:00 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
February 16, 1896
Time
18:00 UTC
Place
Kingston, Jamaica
Epicenter
17.600° N, 76.700° 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.

Reference #1492:

1896, Feb 16 (01:30 local time). 17.6 N, 76.7 W. A sharp shock was felt at Kingston. It was felt lightly throughout the whole island. It was followed by heavy roaring of the surf that lasted half-an-hour. Whether the heavy roaring was

from ocean waves or was a sound reverberation is not clear... Hall, 1907; Tomblin & Robson, 1977. V1.

Reference #535:

Jamaica, Kingston (earthquake intensity IV). Shortly after 13.00 h (local time). A sharp shock. It was followed by a heavy roaring of the surf which lasted about half an hour. (Jamaica Post, 18.2.1896)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1896The 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 10213.