Feb. 14, 2002 – Another of those small rumbles from under the earth was felt at 11:13 p.m. Wednesday. This earthquake hit 4.1 on the Richter Scale.
"It was right north of Tortola," said Christa G. von Hillebrandt-Andrade at the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, located at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. The tremor was centered at 18.6 degrees north latitude and 64.8 degrees west longitude and occurred 26 miles below the earth's surface, she said.
Von Hillebrandt-Andrade said this earthquake was just south of where extensive seismic activity occurred in October 2001. Earthquakes in this region are common. Many are so small that they are not felt. Others with of greater intensity may be felt as far away as Puerto Rico.
Residents on the East End and Coral Bay areas of St. John reported feeling this one. One resident said he also had felt another a few days earlier.
A look at the list of earthquakes recorded this month shows that 26 occurred in this region. Wednesday night's was the most intense. Others ranged from 2.3 to 3.8 on the Richter scale. For more information on earthquakes in this region, go to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network web site.
