Published 24th January 2020
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Moderate yet deep earthquake of magnitude 5.2 just reported 70 km southeast of Road Town, British Virgin Islands
A intermediate magnitude 5.2 earthquake was reported early evening near Road Town, British Virgin Islands.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake hit on Sunday 24 January 2021 at 7:21 pm local time at an intermediate depth of 100 km. The strength of the earthquake may have been tempered by its relative great depth below the surface, which makes it feel weaker in absolute terms. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Road Town (pop. 8,400) located 70 km from the epicenter, Cruz Bay (pop. 2,700) 84 km away, St Croix (pop. 50,600) 93 km away, Marigot (pop. 5,700) 99 km away, Charlotte Amalie (pop. 20,000) 99 km away, Koolbaai (pop. 6,000) 99 km away, Cul de Sac (pop. 8,500) 101 km away, and Lower Prince’s Quarter (pop. 8,000) 104 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
