Puerto Plata

Earthquakes near Puerto Plata through history

From 1900 to October 19, 2026, USGS recorded 8 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 100 km of Puerto Plata, or 200 km for magnitude 7 and above. 3 of them reached magnitude 7 or more; the strongest on either list was an estimated magnitude 8 on May 7, 1842 (Cap-Haitien).

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The last 30 days · as of

USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or more within 100 km of Puerto Plata in the last 30 days.

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What the record holds

It was also the deadliest: NOAA records 5,300 deaths for it. NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes has 11 here, back to 1564. NOAA records deaths in 4 of the events here, 7,168 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 4.5 on October 16, 2003 (Moca, Santiago). NOAA’s record here begins on April 20, 1564 with an earthquake (Concepcion De La Vega). It grows thinner going back: 5 of the 11 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here are from 1927 on. NOAA lists one tsunami that began within 100 km of Puerto Plata, and one from elsewhere that reached it with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 5 m, on August 4, 1946.

The events

  • October 16, 2003Earthquake · M 4.5Moca, SantiagoNOAA NCEI
  • August 4, 1946Earthquake · M 7.816 km NNW of Miches, Dominican Republic · 1,790 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • August 4, 1946Tsunami · 5 m hereNortheastern CoastNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • May 7, 1842Earthquake · M 8.0 (est.)Cap-Haitien · 5,300 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • April 20, 1564EarthquakeConcepcion De La VegaNOAA NCEI

Good to know

  • An event counts for Puerto Plata when it began within 100 km of its centre, or 200 km for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more. Damage can reach further.
  • USGS counts here start at magnitude 6: the catalogue’s smaller quakes thin out going back, where few instruments listened.
  • NOAA lists significant events only: earthquakes that killed, did about $1 million of damage, reached magnitude 7.5 or intensity X, or raised a tsunami, and eruptions and tsunamis by like measures. Magnitudes before 1900 are its estimates from written accounts.
  • Deaths are NOAA’s total for each event, wherever people died, its tsunami and fires included. A tsunami counts the dead its runup records give for this place: NOAA’s total for a tsunami includes its source quake’s.
  • A tsunami from elsewhere counts where one of its runups killed or rose a metre or more.
  • Counted to October 19, 2026, as is the map. The last 30 days ask USGS again.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Earthquakes, live, The world through history

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