M3.4 earthquake 118 km N of Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 118 km N of Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands at 18:12 local time (22:12 UTC) on 16 Sept 2026, at a depth of 18 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-17 22:57 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 3.4minor
duration magnitude (md) - Depth
- 18.4 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-16 22:12:43 UTC
- Local: 16 Sept 2026, 18:12:43 (America/St Thomas)
- Epicentre
- 19.386° N, 65.136° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte AmalieSaint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands · pop. 20,000 | 118 km | INot felt |
| TutuSaint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands · pop. 5,519 | 119 km | INot felt |
| FajardoPuerto Rico · pop. 32,124 | 129 km | INot felt |
| CarolinaPuerto Rico · pop. 170,404 | 142 km | INot felt |
| San JuanPuerto Rico · pop. 418,140 | 144 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 17 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · PR, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · PRheadlinePuerto Rico Seismic Network via U.S. Geological Survey | 3.4 md | 18.4 km | 19.39° N, 65.14° W | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Often felt by people at rest close to the epicentre, rarely causes damage.
It released roughly the energy of 2.2 t of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 18 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M3.4 releases about 36× the energy of M2.4, and its waves are about 11× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 2.2 t of TNT vs 60 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M2.4. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
1 later earthquake within 30 km; the largest was M3.3 7 days ago. 7 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M3.4
1 later earthquake nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 105.67 | 3.3 | 76 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports on SeismoAtlas
No reports yet.
Event id pr71531948. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:11 UTC. Solutions: USGS · PR (usgs:pr71531948). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M3.4 earthquake 118 km N of Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/pr71531948-m3-4-earthquake-118-km-n-of-charlotte-amalie-saint-thomas-island-u-s-virgin, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/pr71531948. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.