June 7, 1692 Tsunami: Port Royal, Jamaica
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake and a landslide began at Port Royal, Jamaica on June 7, 1692. The water rose as high as 1.8 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 places. It killed 3,000 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- June 7, 1692
- Source
- Port Royal, Jamaica
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7
- Maximum water height
- 1.8 m (5.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 17.800° N, 76.700° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,000; 3,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
11:43 am local time. An earthquake at Port Royal, Jamaica, caused a landslide within the harbor, generated a tsunami, and destroyed ninety percent of the buildings in the city. Portions of the city slipped into the water. Approximately 2,000 were drowned; about 1,000 more perished from the earthquake. (reference #537)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yallhouse (Possibly Yallahs) | Jamaica | 16 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Liganee (Kingston) | Jamaica | 21 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Port Royal | Jamaica | 22 | 1.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 2,000 | ||
| Saint Ann'S Bay | Jamaica | 88 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1692The 1600sTsunamis of JamaicaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 346.