USGS · August 18, 2026

Magnitude 2.5 earthquake — 20 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded near 20 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands on Aug 18, 2026, 04:02 AM (local time at the epicentre — AST, UTC-4), at a depth of about 16.5 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-04 18:46 UTC

The full record

Magnitude: M 2.5 · duration magnitude
Location: 20 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
Local time at the epicentre: Aug 18, 2026, 04:02 AM — AST, UTC-4
Time (UTC): 2026-08-18 08:02 UTC
Depth: 16.5 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates: 18.148, -64.835
Felt reports: No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami: No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance: 98 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality: 5 seismic stations used · 121° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog: USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 29,578 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 177,955 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

Place	Distance	Population
Cruz Bay	20.8 km NNE	2,743
Tutu	21.9 km NNW	5,519
Charlotte Amalie	23.8 km NNW	20,000
Altona	24.4 km NNW	1,316
Road Town	38.4 km NE	8,449
Christiansted	46.7 km SSE	1,866
Saint Croix	47.7 km SSE	50,601
Culebra	52.1 km WNW	1,486
Spanish Town	53.9 km NE	3,800
Isabel Segunda	64.2 km W	9,301

Earthquake history in this area

No earthquake of magnitude 4.5+ has been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in Puerto Rico.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

16 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 20 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 20 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands earthquake?

Magnitude 2.5 (duration magnitude), at a depth of 16.5 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Aug 18, 2026, 04:02 AM (local time at the epicentre — AST, UTC-4). In universal time: 2026-08-18 08:02 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Cruz Bay, 20.8 km NNE (population 2,743).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

16 further events were recorded within 100 km of the epicentre in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.