Historic Earthquakes
Samana, Dominican Republic
1946 August 04 17:51 UTC
Magnitude 8.0
Aftershock
1946 August 08 13:28 UTC
Magnitude 7.6
100 deaths.
About 20,000 people left homeless and
severe damage in northern Dominican
Republic from Samana to Santiago and
Puerto Plata. Some damage occurred at
Santo Domingo (Ciudad Trujillo) and
slumping and sand blows were observed
in the Yaque del Norte and Yuna River
Valleys. The death toll was light
because the quake struck in early
afternoon on a holiday, when most
people were outdoors. It was felt
strongly (V-VI) in parts of Haiti and
Puerto Rico, including San Juan; and
(III) in the Virgin Islands and eastern
Cuba. Almost all the people killed were
drowned by a tsunami at Matanzas, near
Nagua (Julia Molina). Although the
waves were only about 2.5 m (8 ft) high
at this location, they moved inland
several km, causing such severe damage
that the town was abandoned. Maximum
wave heights were estimated at 4-5 m
(13-16 ft) at Nagua. A small tsunami
was recorded by tide gauges at San
Juan, Puerto Rico; Bermuda; Daytona
Beach, Florida and Atlantic City, New
Jersey.
A major aftershock (M 7.6) occurred on August 08, causing additional damage and also generating a slight tsunami that was recorded at the same tide stations.
This earthquake occurred about 65 km off the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic. The tsunami caused by this earthquake was recorded on the tide gage at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Reports from the north and west coast of Puerto Rico do not show evidence of a tsunami. (Berninghausen, 1968) The waves were recorded on tide gages at Daytona Beach, Florida, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, and at Bermuda. (Bodle and Murphy, 1948)
Abridged from United States Tsunamis, (including United States possessions) 1690-1988: Publication 41-2, Lander, James F., and Lockridge, Patricia A., August 1989, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 265 p.