QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

28 km NW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Yes. A magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 28 km NW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, at 2:19 pm AST on 12 December 2019 (18:19 UTC), 29 km deep.

· 29 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vieques Municipio 57 kmCulebra Municipio 61 kmCeiba Municipio 82 kmFajardo Municipio 87 kmNaguabo Municipio 91 kmHumacao Municipio 93 kmLuquillo Municipio 96 kmYabucoa Municipio 99 kmMaunabo Municipio 102 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
29 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Vieques Municipio, 57 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2526 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 92,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 8.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.1 22 km NNE of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands · 32 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 29 km S of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands · 26 km NE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 17.9101, -64.9385. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vieques Municipio, PR 57 km (36 mi) WNW earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Culebra Municipio, PR 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 82 km (51 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 87 km (54 mi) NW earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 91 km (56 mi) WNW earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio
Humacao Municipio, PR 93 km (58 mi) WNW earthquakes near Humacao Municipio

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

31 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 3.0 36 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  2. 3.2 8 km ESE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
  3. 3.3 36 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  4. 3.0 21 km W of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
  5. 2.6 36 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  6. 2.5 35 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  7. 3.3 Virgin Islands
  8. 2.9 13 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 26 km SSE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
  10. 2.9 28 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  11. 3.7 27 km S of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  12. 3.7 15 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 13 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.2 18 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.2 Puerto Rico region

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.