M5.3 Earthquake 67 km ESE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands — October 7, 2020
2020-10-07 18:24:34 UTC (2020-10-07) · approx. 2:24 PM UTC-4 local
Felt by 254 people across surrounding communities.
On October 7, 2020 at 18:24 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 67 km ESE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 18.1740°, -64.1781°. This earthquake was detected by 30 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 567, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 km — 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 254 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
-64.1781°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 67 km ESE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands on October 7, 2020 at 18:24 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.1740°, -64.1781°, which is 67 km ESE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2020281016). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, October 7, 2020). M5.3 Earthquake 67 km ESE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands — October 7, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2020281016/