Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Jamaica
Jamaica has catalogued 39 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 108th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.7.
Jamaica ranks 108th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 2 M4+ events a year alongside 7 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 7 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 39
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 7
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.7
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Jamaica is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 39 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 7 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.7.
- 1907
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 16 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- 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 Montenegro sits immediately above at 42 events and Madagascar sits immediately below at 38.
USGS ComCat event tape
Event tape JAMAICA · Jamaica M4+ · 108th/187
Jamaica · 39 M4+ · max M7.7 · 7 M6+
- COMCAT 39
- TAPE 108th/187
- EPIC M7.7
- YOY 7
- BAND near Montenegro
- STRIP 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 Jamaica
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 3 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
- 3
- Average observed MMI
- 6.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 1 / 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 Jamaica sits in the catalog
Rank 108th of 187 tracked countries (42th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Montenegro sits immediately above at 42 events and Madagascar sits immediately below at 38.
- Montenegro - next more active (42 M4+)
- Madagascar - next less active (38 M4+)
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Jamaica's exact count of 39 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Jamaica ranks 1st of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M7.7).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Jamaica (this page) | 39 | M7.7 |
| Syria | 39 | M5.2 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Jamaica by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1905
1905: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1907
1907: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1941
1941: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1957
1957: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2007
2007: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2020
2020: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Jamaica's most active year for major earthquakes was 1907 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 39 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 7 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Jamaica.
M7.0-7.9
1
14.3%
M6.0-6.9
6
85.7%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 7 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 16 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
7
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Jamaica
The 7 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.7 | 123 km NNW of Lucea, Jamaica | 14.9 km | Jan 28, 2020 |
| 6.8 | 82 km SW of Black River, Jamaica | 15.0 km | Apr 7, 1941 |
| 6.3 | 55 km N of Falmouth, Jamaica | 15.0 km | Oct 15, 1905 |
| 6.2 | 4 km NNW of Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica | 20.0 km | Mar 2, 1957 |
| 6.2 | 108 km NNW of Lucea, Jamaica | 10.0 km | Feb 4, 2007 |
| 6.2 | 58 km NNE of Port Antonio, Jamaica | 15.0 km | Jan 14, 1907 |
| 6.2 | 23 km NNE of Ocho Rios, Jamaica | 20.0 km | Aug 22, 1907 |
Significant earthquake record (7 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Jamaica since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.7 | 123 km NNW of Lucea, Jamaica | 14.9 km | Jan 28, 2020 |
| 6.2 | 108 km NNW of Lucea, Jamaica | 10.0 km | Feb 4, 2007 |
| 6.2 | 4 km NNW of Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica | 20.0 km | Mar 2, 1957 |
| 6.8 | 82 km SW of Black River, Jamaica | 15.0 km | Apr 7, 1941 |
| 6.2 | 23 km NNE of Ocho Rios, Jamaica | 20.0 km | Aug 22, 1907 |
| 6.2 | 58 km NNE of Port Antonio, Jamaica | 15.0 km | Jan 14, 1907 |
| 6.3 | 55 km N of Falmouth, Jamaica | 15.0 km | Oct 15, 1905 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Jamaica-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Jamaica-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.