May 31, 1953 Earthquake: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on May 31, 1953 at 19:58:00 UTC, 33 km below the surface. 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 31, 1953
- Time
- 19:58:00 UTC
- Place
- Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 19.800° N, 70.700° W
- Country
- Dominican Republic
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.
An earthquake [Ms=7.2] was felt moderately here and in Puerto Rico. The epicenter was placed 565 km from Puerto Rico.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 7, 1842, Cap-Haitien
- August 4, 1946, Northeastern Coast, Dominican Republic
- August 8, 1946, Northeastern Coast, Dominican Republic
- September 22, 2003, Puerto Plata, Santiago, Dominican Republic
- October 16, 2003, Moca, Santiago, Dominican Republic
- 1783, Santiago DE Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
- April 20, 1564, Concepcion DE LA Vega, Dominican Republic
- 1684, Santo Domingo,azua, Dominican Republic
- January 30, 1776, W, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
- October 18, 1751, Azua DE Compostela, Dominican Republic
- December 29, 1897, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- 1691, Azua, Dominican Republic
- April 12, 1793, Santo Domingo (St Domingue), Haiti
- March 1775, Unknown Location, Haiti
- December 18, 1775, Unknown Location, Haiti
More
Significant earthquakes of 1953The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1953Recent 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 6367.