1842 Cap-Haïtien earthquake

1842 Cap-Haïtien earthquake
UTC time1842-05-07
Local date7 May 1842 (1842-05-07)
Magnitude8.1 Ms
Epicenter19°45′N 72°12′W / 19.75°N 72.20°W / 19.75; -72.20
Areas affectedHaiti
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)
TsunamiYes
Casualties5,300

The 1842 Cap-Haïtien earthquake occurred at 17:00 local time (21:00 UTC) on 7 May. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.1 on the Ms scale and triggered a destructive tsunami. It badly affected the northern coast of Haiti and part of what is now the Dominican Republic. Port-de-Paix suffered the greatest damage from both earthquake and tsunami. Approximately 5,000 people were killed by the effects of the earthquake shaking and another 300 by the tsunami.