Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic has catalogued 492 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 45th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.8.
Dominican Republic ranks 45th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 23 M4+ events a year alongside 24 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 25% of those M6+ events fall in 1946 alone.
- 492
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 24
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.8
- Strongest
- ~23
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Dominican Republic is more seismically active than most places tracked here, with 492 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 24 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.8.
- 1946
- busiest year (6 major events)
- 23 km
- average recorded event depth
- 92%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.3 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Venezuela sits immediately above at 538 events and Svalbard and Jan Mayen sits immediately below at 435.
ComCat magnitude tape
Event tape DOMINICAN-RE · Dominican Republic M4+ · 45th/187
Dominican Republic · 492 M4+ · max M7.8 · 24 M6+
- TAPE 492
- EPIC 45th/187
- YOY M7.8
- BAND 24
- STRIP near Venezuela
- BOOK 92% 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 Dominican Republic
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 10 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 6.3. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 10
- Average observed MMI
- 6.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Dominican Republic sits in the catalog
Rank 45th of 187 tracked countries (76th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Venezuela sits immediately above at 538 events and Svalbard and Jan Mayen sits immediately below at 435.
- Venezuela - next more active (538 M4+)
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen - next less active (435 M4+)
Dominican Republic's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
492 Top 24% higher than 76% 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 Dominican Republic by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1922 1
1922: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1945 1
1945: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1946
1946: 6 major (M6+) events
6
- 1948
1948: 3 major (M6+) events
3
- 1953 1
1953: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1962 1
1962: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1966 1
1966: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1971 1
1971: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1972 1
1972: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1979 1
1979: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1984 1
1984: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2003 1
2003: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Dominican Republic's most active year for major earthquakes was 1946 (6 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 492 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 24 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Dominican Republic.
M7.0-7.9
2
8.3%
M6.0-6.9
22
91.7%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 24 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 23 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
22
91.7% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
2
8.3% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Dominican Republic
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | 16 km NNW of Miches, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 4, 1946 |
| 7.1 | 11 km WNW of Sánchez, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Apr 21, 1948 |
| 7.0 | 24 km NNW of Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 8, 1946 |
| 6.9 | 52 km S of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic | 23.9 km | Jun 24, 1984 |
| 6.8 | 94 km NE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Jul 27, 1917 |
| 6.8 | 26 km SE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic | 100.0 km | Apr 24, 1916 |
| 6.7 | 7 km WSW of Samaná, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Apr 22, 1948 |
| 6.7 | 82 km SE of Enriquillo, Dominican Republic | 35.0 km | Oct 6, 1911 |
| 6.6 | 5 km NNW of Salsipuedes, Dominican Republic | 16.7 km | May 31, 1953 |
| 6.5 | 47 km SE of Sabana Grande de Palenque, Dominican Republic | 17.2 km | Jun 11, 1971 |
Significant earthquake record (24 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Dominican Republic since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.4 | 2 km SE of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic | 10.0 km | Sep 22, 2003 |
| 6.9 | 52 km S of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic | 23.9 km | Jun 24, 1984 |
| 6.1 | 49 km S of La Romana, Dominican Republic | 80.0 km | Mar 23, 1979 |
| 6.2 | 10 km SSE of Joba Arriba, Dominican Republic | 10.0 km | Sep 19, 1972 |
| 6.5 | 47 km SE of Sabana Grande de Palenque, Dominican Republic | 17.2 km | Jun 11, 1971 |
| 6.1 | 80 km NE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 24.1 km | Nov 3, 1966 |
| 6.5 | 3 km NNW of Matanzas, Dominican Republic | 35.6 km | Jan 8, 1962 |
| 6.6 | 5 km NNW of Salsipuedes, Dominican Republic | 16.7 km | May 31, 1953 |
| 6.2 | 16 km ENE of Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Apr 23, 1948 |
| 6.7 | 7 km WSW of Samaná, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Apr 22, 1948 |
| 7.1 | 11 km WNW of Sánchez, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Apr 21, 1948 |
| 6.3 | 30 km NNE of Otra Banda, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Oct 4, 1946 |
| 6.0 | 5 km ESE of Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 24, 1946 |
| 6.3 | 10 km ESE of Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 21, 1946 |
| 7.0 | 24 km NNW of Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 8, 1946 |
| 6.3 | 7 km NNE of San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 4, 1946 |
| 7.8 | 16 km NNW of Miches, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Aug 4, 1946 |
| 6.0 | 31 km NNE of Cabrera, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Jan 22, 1945 |
| 6.3 | 58 km E of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Dec 18, 1922 |
| 6.8 | 94 km NE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Jul 27, 1917 |
| 6.4 | 52 km NE of Samaná, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Nov 30, 1916 |
| 6.8 | 26 km SE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic | 100.0 km | Apr 24, 1916 |
| 6.0 | 9 km ENE of Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic | 15.0 km | Feb 28, 1914 |
| 6.7 | 82 km SE of Enriquillo, Dominican Republic | 35.0 km | Oct 6, 1911 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Dominican Republic-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Dominican Republic-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.