The City That Sank Into the Sea — Port Royal, 1692

In 1692, Port Royal was one of the wealthiest and most notorious cities in the Caribbean. Then, in a matter of minutes, a massive earthquake struck Jamaica. The ground fractured. Buildings collapsed. The harbor was overwhelmed by the sea. Much of Port Royal was swallowed beneath the water. But the most fascinating part of the story is what happened beneath the city. The earthquake triggered liquefaction, causing the sandy ground beneath Port Royal to lose its strength and behave almost like a liquid. Today, the remains of the old city lie beneath the waters of Kingston Harbour, where archaeologists have discovered streets, buildings, artifacts and other traces of the lost city. This is the story of Port Royal — the city that disappeared beneath the sea in 1692. The Lost Atlas — Earth History, Reconstructed.