M3.8 Earthquake 13 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands — May 31, 2020
2020-05-31 19:56:32 UTC (2020-05-31) · approx. 3:56 PM UTC-4 local
Felt by 25 people across nearby locations.
On May 31, 2020 at 19:56 UTC, a magnitude 3.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 13 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a depth of 6.0 km and coordinates 18.4335°, -65.0218°. This earthquake was detected by 27 seismic stations with limited location accuracy due to sparse station coverage and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 234, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 7.6 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 252 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 25 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-65.0218°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.8 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands?
The magnitude 3.8 earthquake that struck 13 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands on May 31, 2020 at 19:56 UTC had a depth of 6.0 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.4335°, -65.0218°, which is 13 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2020152019). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, May 31, 2020). M3.8 Earthquake 13 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands — May 31, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2020152019/