Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago has catalogued 88 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 83rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.7.
Trinidad and Tobago ranks 83rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 4 M4+ events a year alongside 8 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 25% of those M6+ events fall in 1997 alone.
- 88
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 8
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.7
- Strongest
- ~4
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Trinidad and Tobago is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 88 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 8 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.7.
- 1997
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 34 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 Eritrea sits immediately above at 93 events and Palau sits immediately below at 84.
Where Trinidad and Tobago sits in the catalog
Rank 83rd of 187 tracked countries (55th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Eritrea sits immediately above at 93 events and Palau sits immediately below at 84.
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Trinidad and Tobago's exact count of 88 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Trinidad and Tobago ranks 2nd of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M6.1).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 88 | M6.3 |
| Trinidad and Tobago (this page) | 88 | M6.1 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Trinidad and Tobago by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1910
1910: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1922
1922: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1954
1954: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1988
1988: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1994
1994: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1997
1997: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2006
2006: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Trinidad and Tobago's most active year for major earthquakes was 1997 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
1 of 88 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 8 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Trinidad and Tobago.
M6.0-6.9
8
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 8 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 34 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
8
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Trinidad and Tobago
The 8 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.7 | 18 km WSW of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 5.0 km | Apr 22, 1997 |
| 6.7 | 62 km ESE of Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago | 56.2 km | Mar 10, 1988 |
| 6.5 | 144 km ENE of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 10.0 km | Jan 23, 1910 |
| 6.2 | 46 km E of Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago | 36.0 km | May 3, 1994 |
| 6.1 | 30 km NW of Petit Valley, Trinidad and Tobago | 53.0 km | Sep 29, 2006 |
| 6.1 | 33 km NW of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 45.0 km | Apr 2, 1997 |
| 6.1 | 23 km N of Paradise, Trinidad and Tobago | 49.0 km | Dec 4, 1954 |
| 6.1 | 57 km ENE of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 15.0 km | May 11, 1922 |
Significant earthquake record (8 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Trinidad and Tobago since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 30 km NW of Petit Valley, Trinidad and Tobago | 53.0 km | Sep 29, 2006 |
| 6.7 | 18 km WSW of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 5.0 km | Apr 22, 1997 |
| 6.1 | 33 km NW of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 45.0 km | Apr 2, 1997 |
| 6.2 | 46 km E of Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago | 36.0 km | May 3, 1994 |
| 6.7 | 62 km ESE of Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago | 56.2 km | Mar 10, 1988 |
| 6.1 | 23 km N of Paradise, Trinidad and Tobago | 49.0 km | Dec 4, 1954 |
| 6.1 | 57 km ENE of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 15.0 km | May 11, 1922 |
| 6.5 | 144 km ENE of Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago | 10.0 km | Jan 23, 1910 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Trinidad and Tobago-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Trinidad and Tobago-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Trinidad and Tobago? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Trinidad and Tobago? ▼
How seismically active is Trinidad and Tobago? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Trinidad and Tobago? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Trinidad and Tobago's figures
88 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.7 · average M4.5 · 8 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Feb 11, 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 Trinidad and Tobago's numbers mean
Trinidad and Tobago ranks 83rd of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 4 M4+ earthquakes strike Trinidad and Tobago per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1997 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Trinidad and Tobago'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 M6.7. 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.