Oct. 23, 2001 – Scientists of the Puerto Rico Seismic Network are taking a close look at the half-dozen minor earthquakes that occurred in the region Monday.
"We are studying the situation," geophysicist Victor Huerfano said Tuesday. The tremors ranged from 4.4 to 5 on the Richter Scale, which measures earthquake strength.
A total of 118 minor earthquakes have been recorded in the area since Oct. 16. However, Huerfano and John Minsch, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake information Center in Golden, Colo., both said there is no cause for alarm.
Minsch said earthquakes often occur in a series. His agency reported a total of five, a difference Huerfano said was due to the fact that the Puerto Rico Seismic Network has more stations in the area.
The earthquakes occurred at mid-day in the Sombrero Seismic Zone, located about 85 miles northwest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. While no one in the territory reported feeling the tremors, Huerfano said three were felt in Puerto Rico.
