M4.5 Earthquake 71 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands — November 18, 2020
2020-11-18 11:59:09 UTC (2020-11-18) · approx. 7:59 AM UTC-4 local
Felt by 28 people across nearby locations.
On November 18, 2020 at 11:59 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 71 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a depth of 31.0 km and coordinates 18.9580°, -65.1036°. This earthquake was detected by 23 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 328, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 97 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 818 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 28 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
-65.1036°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands?
The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck 71 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands on November 18, 2020 at 11:59 UTC had a depth of 31.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.9580°, -65.1036°, which is 71 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2020323008). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, November 18, 2020). M4.5 Earthquake 71 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands — November 18, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2020323008/