Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe has catalogued 154 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 68th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.2.
Guadeloupe ranks 68th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 7 M4+ events a year alongside 10 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 30% of those M6+ events fall in 1969 alone.
- 154
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 10
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.2
- Strongest
- ~7
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Guadeloupe is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 154 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 10 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.2.
- 1969
- busiest year (3 major events)
- 37 km
- average recorded event depth
- 90%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Democratic Republic of the Congo sits immediately above at 161 events and Turkmenistan sits immediately below at 143.
USGS event tape strip
Event tape GUADELOUPE · Guadeloupe M4+ · 68th/187
Guadeloupe · 154 M4+ · max M7.2 · 10 M6+
- M6 154
- DEPTH 68th/187
- PHOTO M7.2
- BUSY 10
- SHAL near Congo
- PCT 90% 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 Guadeloupe
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 5 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 4.9. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 5
- Average observed MMI
- 4.9
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 1
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Guadeloupe sits in the catalog
Rank 68th of 187 tracked countries (64th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Democratic Republic of the Congo sits immediately above at 161 events and Turkmenistan sits immediately below at 143.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - next more active (161 M4+)
- Turkmenistan - next less active (143 M4+)
Guadeloupe's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
154 Top 36% higher than 64% 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 Guadeloupe by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1914 1
1914: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1969
1969: 3 major (M6+) events
3
- 1970 1
1970: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1982 1
1982: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1995 1
1995: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2004 1
2004: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2023 1
2023: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2025 1
2025: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Guadeloupe's most active year for major earthquakes was 1969 (3 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 154 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 10 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Guadeloupe.
M7.0-7.9
2
20.0%
M6.0-6.9
8
80.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 10 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 37 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
9
90.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
1
10.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Guadeloupe
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 162 km ESE of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 11.2 km | Dec 25, 1969 |
| 7.0 | 92 km E of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 15.0 km | Oct 3, 1914 |
| 6.5 | 164 km E of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 9.0 km | Oct 27, 2025 |
| 6.3 | 20 km SSW of Petites Anses, Guadeloupe | 14.0 km | Nov 21, 2004 |
| 6.2 | 164 km E of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 8.1 km | Mar 8, 1995 |
| 6.1 | 133 km ESE of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 20.0 km | Dec 25, 1969 |
| 6.1 | 40 km WSW of Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe | 162.0 km | Jan 20, 2023 |
| 6.0 | 30 km NNE of Anse-Bertrand, Guadeloupe | 63.3 km | Jan 30, 1982 |
| 6.0 | 145 km ESE of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 35.0 km | Jan 7, 1970 |
| 6.0 | 40 km NE of Anse-Bertrand, Guadeloupe | 29.9 km | May 15, 1969 |
Significant earthquake record (10 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Guadeloupe since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 164 km E of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 9.0 km | Oct 27, 2025 |
| 6.1 | 40 km WSW of Pointe-Noire, Guadeloupe | 162.0 km | Jan 20, 2023 |
| 6.3 | 20 km SSW of Petites Anses, Guadeloupe | 14.0 km | Nov 21, 2004 |
| 6.2 | 164 km E of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 8.1 km | Mar 8, 1995 |
| 6.0 | 30 km NNE of Anse-Bertrand, Guadeloupe | 63.3 km | Jan 30, 1982 |
| 6.0 | 145 km ESE of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 35.0 km | Jan 7, 1970 |
| 6.1 | 133 km ESE of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 20.0 km | Dec 25, 1969 |
| 7.2 | 162 km ESE of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 11.2 km | Dec 25, 1969 |
| 6.0 | 40 km NE of Anse-Bertrand, Guadeloupe | 29.9 km | May 15, 1969 |
| 7.0 | 92 km E of Beauséjour, Guadeloupe | 15.0 km | Oct 3, 1914 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Guadeloupe-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Guadeloupe-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.