 Map of earthquakes around Puerto Rico. The epicenter of the 1867 earthquake is marked in a star located on the right. | |
  | |
| UTC time | 1867-11-18 18:45:00 |
|---|---|
| 1868-03-17 11:15:00 | |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| ComCat | |
| Local date | 18 November 1867 |
| Local time | 14:45 |
| Magnitude | 7.5 Ms |
| Epicenter | 18°12′N 65°00′W / 18.2°N 65.0°W |
| Areas affected | Greater Antilles & Lesser Antilles |
| Total damage | Extensive |
| Max. intensity | RFS IX (Devastating tremor) |
| Tsunami | 18.3 m (60 ft) |
| Landslides | Possible |
| Aftershocks | 6.5 Mh[1] |
| Casualties | >50–"hundreds" dead |
The 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami occurred on November 18, at 14.45 in the Anegada Passage about 20 km southwest of Saint Thomas, Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands). The Ms 7.5 earthquake came just 20 days after the devastating San Narciso Hurricane in the same region. Tsunamis from this earthquake were some of the highest ever recorded in the Lesser Antilles. Wave heights exceeded 10 m (33 ft) in some islands in the Lesser Antilles. The earthquake and tsunami resulted in no more than 50 fatalities,[2] although hundreds of casualties were reported.[3]
- ^ "M 6.5 – Virgin Islands Region". United States Geological Survey-Advanced National Seismic System. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Karen Fay O’loughlin; James F. Lander (2003). Caribbean Tsunamis: A 500-Year History from 1498-1998. Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research. Springer, Dordrecht. p. 263. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-0321-5. ISBN 978-94-017-0321-5.
- ^ Hearne, M. E; Grindlay, N. R.; Mann, P. (2003). Landslide Deposits, Cookie Bites, and Crescentic Fracturing Along the Northern Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands Margin: Implications for Potential Tsunamigenesis. Fall Meeting 2003. American Geophysical Union. Bibcode:2003AGUFMOS22A1148H.