M4.6 Earthquake 70 km NE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands — January 27, 2023
2023-01-27 11:06:54 UTC (2023-01-27) · approx. 7:06 AM UTC-4 local
Felt by 7 people across nearby locations.
On January 27, 2023 at 11:06 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 70 km NE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a depth of 33.0 km and coordinates 18.7795°, -64.3253°. This earthquake was detected by 21 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 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 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 7 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
-64.3253°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck 70 km NE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands on January 27, 2023 at 11:06 UTC had a depth of 33.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.7795°, -64.3253°, which is 70 km NE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2023027001). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, January 27, 2023). M4.6 Earthquake 70 km NE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands — January 27, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2023027001/