A 5.3 earthquake was felt across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic Friday, but there were no reports from the Virgin Islands, said Gisela Baez, a geologist at the Puerto Rico Seismic Network.
The earthquake occurred at 12:15 p.m. It was centered 124.9 miles north of Puerto Rico at 20.2 degrees north latitude and 65.9 degrees west longitude, 18 miles below the ocean floor.
Baez said the northern areas of Puerto Rico felt it the strongest. “There was no damage,” she said — nor was there any threat of a tsunami.
The temblor came one day after a 5.0 earthquake near St. Kitts was felt on St. John and Tortola, she said. That quake was centered at 17.2 degrees north latitude and 63.2 degrees west longitude, and was 101 miles under the ocean floor.
According to Baez, earthquakes of this magnitude are normal for the region, but it was not part of an earthquake swarm.
“But it reminds us that we are in an active zone and need to be aware,” she said.
