5.5

M5.5 Earthquake 84 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin IslandsMay 8, 2022

2022-05-08 13:32:58 UTC (2022-05-08) · approx. 9:32 AM UTC-4 local

Felt by 254 people across surrounding communities.

MagnitudeM5.5(ml)
Time13:32 UTC9:32 AM UTC-4
Depth25.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates18.976°, -64.359°
Felt by254DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On May 8, 2022 at 13:32 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 84 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a depth of 25.0 km and coordinates 18.9755°, -64.3585°. This earthquake was detected by 31 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 587, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 18.98°, -64.36°

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.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.5 earthquake near 84 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.5 ml
Depth
25.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
18.9755°N
-64.3585°E
Felt Reports
254
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
4.8
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
pr2022128001
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
587
Stations Used
31
Azimuthal Gap
214.0°
Min Station Distance
1.482°
RMS Residual
0.35 sec
Last Updated
2023-09-03 08:11:26 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands?

The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck 84 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands on May 8, 2022 at 13:32 UTC had a depth of 25.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.9755°, -64.3585°, which is 84 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2022128001). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, May 8, 2022). M5.5 Earthquake 84 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin IslandsMay 8, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2022128001/