In the North Atlantic Ocean 165 kilometer from San Juan, Puerto Rico, a shallow and significant M5.6 earthquake occurred in the evening of Tuesday May 14th, 2024. Other nearby countries are Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Atlantic Ocean, 90 kilometers (56 mi) off the coast of Puerto Rico, 165 kilometer west-northwest of San Juan. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 14, 2024 08:30PM (Puerto Rico Time) - May 15, 2024 00:30 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 165 km WNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Coordinates 19°16'11"N 67°25'25"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.6 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 . |
| Depth: | 7 km (4 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Puerto Rico , Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 98 kilometer (61 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Aguadilla (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Santo Domingo is located 274 km to the west-southwest. Santo Domingo Este is located 270 km to the west-southwest. San Juan is located 165 km to the east-southeast.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 98 km (61 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Aguadilla Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. |
| 116 km (72 mi) SE from epicenter |
Arecibo Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
| 123 km (76 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Mayagüez Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. |
| 128 km (80 mi) SW from epicenter |
Punta Cana La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. |
| 130 km (81 mi) SE from epicenter |
Barceloneta Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. |
| 136 km (85 mi) SE from epicenter |
Manatí Manatí, Puerto Rico. |
| 142 km (88 mi) SE from epicenter |
Vega Baja Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 150 km (93 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Yauco Yauco, Puerto Rico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Salvaleón de Higüey La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. |
| 159 km (99 mi) SE from epicenter |
Levittown Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 160 km (99 mi) SE from epicenter |
Candelaria Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico. |
| 165 km (103 mi) SE from epicenter |
Bayamón Bayamón, Puerto Rico. |
| 165 km (103 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Cataño Cataño, Puerto Rico. |
| 165 km (103 mi) ESE from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| 171 km (106 mi) SE from epicenter |
Guaynabo Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. |
| 179 km (111 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Santa Cruz de El Seibo El Seíbo, Dominican Republic. |
| 180 km (112 mi) SE from epicenter |
Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. |
| 183 km (114 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico. |
| 185 km (115 mi) SE from epicenter |
Caguas Caguas, Puerto Rico. |
| 185 km (115 mi) SE from epicenter |
Cayey Cayey, Puerto Rico. |
| 188 km (117 mi) WSW from epicenter |
La Romana La Romana, Dominican Republic. |
| 199 km (124 mi) SE from epicenter |
Guayama Guayama, Puerto Rico. |
| 201 km (125 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Hato Mayor del Rey Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. |
| 209 km (130 mi) SE from epicenter |
Humacao Humacao, Puerto Rico. |
| 214 km (133 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Fajardo Fajardo, Puerto Rico. |
| 218 km (135 mi) WSW from epicenter |
San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. |
| 223 km (139 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Quisqueya San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. |
| 240 km (149 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bayaguana Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Boca Chica Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 252 km (157 mi) W from epicenter |
Sabana Grande de Boyá Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 253 km (157 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Monte Plata Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 255 km (158 mi) W from epicenter |
Nagua María Trinidad Sánchez, Dominican Republic. |
| 270 km (168 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Este Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 274 km (170 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Villa Francisca Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 274 km (170 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 275 km (171 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Ciudad Nueva Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 275 km (171 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Villa Consuelo Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 280 km (174 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bella Vista Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 282 km (175 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Charlotte Amalie Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| 284 km (176 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Oeste Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 287 km (178 mi) W from epicenter |
Cotuí Sánchez Ramírez, Dominican Republic. |
| 291 km (181 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bajos de Haina San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
| 296 km (184 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Villa Altagracia San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
| 297 km (185 mi) WSW from epicenter |
San Cristóbal San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
| 297 km (185 mi) W from epicenter |
San Francisco de Macorís Duarte, Dominican Republic. |
Shaking reported by 20 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 20 people have reported shaking in 7 places, all within Dominican Republic.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Otra Banda, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic: 11 people.
- Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 3 people.
- Boca de Yuma, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic: 2 people.
- Moca, Espaillat, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- Las Terrenas, Samaná, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- El Carril, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
8 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 8 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 23 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.9 was detected 1.9 km (1.2 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.6 |
May 14, 2024 08:30PM (Puerto Rico Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
12 mins later May 14, 2024 08:42PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 8 km (5 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
3 hrs later May 14, 2024 11:53PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 4 km (2.6 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
6 hrs later May 15, 2024 02:30AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 9 km (6 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
19 hrs later May 15, 2024 03:03PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 89 km (55 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
21 hrs later May 15, 2024 05:42PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 96 km (60 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
23 hrs later May 15, 2024 07:28PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
1 day later May 15, 2024 11:02PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 17 km (10 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 days later May 17, 2024 04:24AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 94 km (58 mi) S from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).This is the strongest earthquake in 4 years
Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 11th, 2020, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 159 km (99 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on January 7th, 2020.
In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 years.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 7 km (4 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 13/07/24 05:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake pr2024136000
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240515_0000003
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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