Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 3.1md
36 km SSW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Yes. A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 36 km SSW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, at 4:51 pm AST on 4 December 2025 (20:51 UTC), 50 km deep.
- When
- Magnitude
- M 3.1 (md)
- Depth
- 50 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Vieques Municipio, 100 km NW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 342 days ago
This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes 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 1,400 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 240,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 11,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,700× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,400 lb of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.5× more
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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.
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 17.4163, -64.8472. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vieques Municipio, PR | 100 km (62 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Vieques Municipio |
| Culebra Municipio, PR | 112 km (70 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Culebra Municipio |
| Ceiba Municipio, PR | 124 km (77 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio |
| Humacao Municipio, PR | 128 km (79 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Humacao Municipio |
| Maunabo Municipio, PR | 129 km (80 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Maunabo Municipio |
| Yabucoa Municipio, PR | 129 km (80 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Yabucoa Municipio |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
5 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 3.2 54 km WSW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- 3.1 30 km SSE of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- 3.1 18 km NW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- 3.1 7 km S of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- 3.4 38 km SSW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.