M4.5 Earthquake in the Jamaica region — August 26, 2020
2020-08-26 12:28:09 UTC (2020-08-26) · approx. 7:28 AM UTC-5 local
Felt by 65 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.4 (strong).
On August 26, 2020 at 12:28 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Jamaica region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 18.2824°, -77.3460°. The earthquake was reported felt by 65 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.4 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. The nearest populated place is Alexandria (population 1,927).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 85 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 767 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 65 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 1,964,396 |
| MMI 4 | light | 681,711 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 17,904 |
Earthquake Details
-77.3460°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake in the Jamaica region?
The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck in the Jamaica region on August 26, 2020 at 12:28 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 65 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.4 (strong). For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.2824°, -77.3460°, which is in the Jamaica region. The nearest populated place is Alexandria (population 1,927).
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.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000bd5r). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, August 26, 2020). M4.5 Earthquake in the Jamaica region — August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000bd5r/