M5.3 Earthquake 72 km NE of Samaná, Dominican Republic — December 26, 2023
2023-12-26 07:24:25 UTC (2023-12-26) · approx. 2:24 AM UTC-5 local
Felt by 35 people across nearby locations.
On December 26, 2023 at 07:24 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 72 km NE of Samaná, Dominican Republic, at a depth of 9.0 km and coordinates 19.6258°, -68.8005°. This earthquake was detected by 26 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 445, 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 35 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
-68.8005°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Samaná, Dominican Republic?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 72 km NE of Samaná, Dominican Republic on December 26, 2023 at 07:24 UTC had a depth of 9.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 19.6258°, -68.8005°, which is 72 km NE of Samaná, Dominican Republic.
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.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2023360000). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, December 26, 2023). M5.3 Earthquake 72 km NE of Samaná, Dominican Republic — December 26, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2023360000/