Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe has catalogued 152 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.
- 152
- 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 152 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.
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
152 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
How Guadeloupe compares to its nearest peers
Guadeloupe ranks in the 64th percentile for M4+ frequency among all 187 tracked countries. Plotted here against its 20 nearest-ranked peers by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude).
Read the chart (all 21 values)
| Country | M4+ events | Strongest magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| MX | 202 | M5.8 |
| Mongolia | 196 | M6.7 |
| South Africa | 191 | M5.4 |
| Morocco | 187 | M6.8 |
| Iraq | 185 | M7.3 |
| Saint Helena | 184 | M6.0 |
| Romania | 183 | M5.6 |
| Kazakhstan | 174 | M6.1 |
| Azerbaijan | 169 | M5.6 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 161 | M6.8 |
| Guadeloupe (this page) | 152 | M6.5 |
| Turkmenistan | 143 | M5.4 |
| Mauritius | 135 | M6.0 |
| Zimbabwe | 135 | M7.0 |
| Poland | 130 | M5.0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 129 | M6.6 |
| Samoa | 116 | M6.2 |
| Saudi Arabia | 114 | M5.7 |
| Anguilla | 113 | M5.6 |
| Cayman Islands | 107 | M7.6 |
| Brazil | 101 | M6.8 |
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 152 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.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Guadeloupe? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Guadeloupe? ▼
How seismically active is Guadeloupe? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Guadeloupe? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Guadeloupe's figures
152 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.2 · average M4.5 · 10 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jul 3, 2026. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What Guadeloupe's numbers mean
Guadeloupe ranks 68th of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 7 M4+ earthquakes strike Guadeloupe per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1969 was the busiest year on record with 3 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 90% of Guadeloupe's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M7.2. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 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 2026-07-19.