Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Barbados
Barbados has catalogued 66 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 92nd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.5.
Barbados ranks 92nd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 3 M4+ events a year alongside 4 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 4 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 66
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 4
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.5
- Strongest
- ~3
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Barbados is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 66 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 4 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.5.
- 1919
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 15 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.6 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Bosnia and Herzegovina sits immediately above at 69 events and Croatia sits immediately below at 65.
USGS event tape strip
Event tape BARBADOS · Barbados M4+ · 92nd/187
Barbados · 66 M4+ · max M6.5 · 4 M6+
- BOOK 66
- RANK 92nd/187
- MAX M6.5
- M6 4
- DEPTH near Bosnia and Herzegovina
- PHOTO 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Barbados
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 2 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 3.9. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 2
- Average observed MMI
- 3.9
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 2
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Barbados sits in the catalog
Rank 92nd of 187 tracked countries (51th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Bosnia and Herzegovina sits immediately above at 69 events and Croatia sits immediately below at 65.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina - next more active (69 M4+)
- Croatia - next less active (65 M4+)
Barbados's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
66 Top 49% higher than 51% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Barbados by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1919
1919: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1928
1928: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2014
2014: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2015
2015: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Barbados's most active year for major earthquakes was 1919 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 66 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 4 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Barbados.
M6.0-6.9
4
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 4 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 15 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
4
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Barbados
The 4 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 128 km NE of Bathsheba, Barbados | 20.0 km | Jul 16, 2015 |
| 6.5 | 171 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados | 14.8 km | Feb 18, 2014 |
| 6.5 | 110 km SSW of Oistins, Barbados | 10.0 km | Sep 27, 1928 |
| 6.1 | 180 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados | 15.0 km | Nov 6, 1919 |
Significant earthquake record (4 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Barbados since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 128 km NE of Bathsheba, Barbados | 20.0 km | Jul 16, 2015 |
| 6.5 | 171 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados | 14.8 km | Feb 18, 2014 |
| 6.5 | 110 km SSW of Oistins, Barbados | 10.0 km | Sep 27, 1928 |
| 6.1 | 180 km NNE of Greenland, Barbados | 15.0 km | Nov 6, 1919 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Barbados-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Barbados-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.