A 4.6-magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:05 a.m. Wednesday, about 50 miles north of Charlotte Amalie, according to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network in Mayaguez.
The earthquake, which occurred at 19 degrees north longitude and 64.8 degrees west latitude, hit 2.9 miles below the earth’s surface and was felt at some locations in the Virgin Islands.
No tsunami threat was posed for the territory.
Wednesday’s event was the 28th quake registered by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network this year. The strongest was the 7.0 quake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12; the second largest was a 6.1 event on Jan. 20, also centered in Haiti.
While the Virgin Islands hasn’t had a disastrous earthquake since 1867, which also generated a tsunami, hurricane threats remain.
There are currently no tropical depressions, tropical storms or hurricanes brewing that could impact the territory, but residents should remain on alert. In 1996, Hurricane Bertha hit on July 8. While Bertha wasn’t nearly as bad as Hurricane Marilyn, which hit the previous year, the Category-1 hurricane caused some damage and woke residents up to the fact that hurricanes can come early in the season.
