Strong M6.0 Earthquake struck on Saturday Morning 32mi from Antigua and Barbuda.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 16th, 2026. Last updated June 18th, 2026.

A strong MAG-6.0 earthquake struck 32 miles from Antigua and Barbuda in the morning of Saturday May 16th, 2026. Roughly 660 thousand people may have felt this earthquake. Other nearby countries are Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Dominica and Martinique.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake struck 32 miles (51 km) from Antigua and Barbuda The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 47 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 16, 2026 10:50 (Antigua Time) - May 16, 2026 14:50 Universal Time.
Location:	68 km NE of Saint John’s, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda. Coordinates 17°25'22"N 61°17'18"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 31 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.034 .
Depth:	47 km (29 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 660 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 660 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 180 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 430 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 9 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Antigua and Barbuda , around 100 thousand people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Roughly 390 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Guadeloupe . Roughly 60 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Saint Barthelemy . In Saint Kitts and Nevis, Caribbean Netherlands, Montserrat, Saint Martin, Anguilla and Dominica, a smaller number of people were exposed.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
233,300	III	Weak	Probably none
426,400	IV	Light	Likely none
180	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

12 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Antigua and Barbuda , Guadeloupe , Montserrat , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Anguilla , Dominica and Martinique . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Saint Lucia.

Saint John’s in Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 68 kilometer (42 mi) north-east of Saint John’s. The intensity of shaking and damage in Saint John’s is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
68 km (42 mi) SW from epicenter	Saint John’s Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda.	IV Light
121 km (75 mi) S from epicenter	Le Moule Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
121 km (75 mi) SW from epicenter	Brades Saint Peter, Montserrat.	III Weak
127 km (79 mi) SW from epicenter	Plymouth Saint Anthony, Montserrat.	III Weak
129 km (80 mi) S from epicenter	Sainte-Rose Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
130 km (81 mi) S from epicenter	Les Abymes Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
132 km (82 mi) S from epicenter	Baie-Mahault Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
133 km (83 mi) S from epicenter	Sainte-Anne Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
134 km (83 mi) S from epicenter	Pointe-à-Pitre Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
137 km (85 mi) S from epicenter	Le Gosier Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
141 km (88 mi) S from epicenter	Petit-Bourg Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
153 km (95 mi) W from epicenter	Basseterre Saint George Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.	III Weak
156 km (97 mi) S from epicenter	Capesterre-Belle-Eau Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	IV Light
165 km (103 mi) S from epicenter	Basse-Terre Guadeloupe, Guadeloupe.	III Weak
174 km (108 mi) W from epicenter	Gustavia All regions, Saint Barthelemy.	III Weak
203 km (126 mi) W from epicenter	Marigot All regions, Saint Martin.	III Weak
207 km (129 mi) NW from epicenter	The Valley The Valley, Anguilla.	III Weak
236 km (147 mi) S from epicenter	Roseau Saint George, Dominica.
295 km (183 mi) S from epicenter	Sainte-Marie Martinique, Martinique.
301 km (187 mi) S from epicenter	La Trinité Martinique, Martinique.
307 km (191 mi) S from epicenter	Le Robert Martinique, Martinique.
307 km (191 mi) S from epicenter	Saint-Joseph Martinique, Martinique.
314 km (195 mi) S from epicenter	Le Lamentin Martinique, Martinique.
314 km (195 mi) S from epicenter	Fort-de-France Martinique, Martinique.
315 km (196 mi) S from epicenter	Le François Martinique, Martinique.
318 km (198 mi) S from epicenter	Ducos Martinique, Martinique.
368 km (229 mi) W from epicenter	Saint Croix Saint Croix Island, U.S. Virgin Islands.
370 km (230 mi) W from epicenter	Road Town All regions, British Virgin Islands.
382 km (237 mi) S from epicenter	Castries Castries, Saint Lucia.
399 km (248 mi) W from epicenter	Charlotte Amalie Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 137 people in 10 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 137 people have reported shaking in 50 places in 10 countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Martinique, Saint Lucia, British Virgin Islands).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Saint Johnʿs, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda: 12 people.
Bolands, Saint Mary, Antigua and Barbuda: 7 people.
Basseterre, Saint George Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis: 7 people.
Low Lands, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles: 7 people.
Point-à-Pitre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe: 6 people.
Cedar Grove, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda: 6 people.
Cul De Sac, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles: 5 people.
All Saints, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda: 5 people.
Monkey Hill, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis: 4 people.
Potters Village, Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda: 4 people.

Aftershocks detected

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 14 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 3.6	14 hrs earlier May 15, 2026 21:10 (Antigua Time)	49 km (31 mi) W from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.0	May 16, 2026 10:50 (Antigua Time)	-

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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 27th, 2025, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake hit 209 km (130 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on July 10th, 2023.

In total, 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 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 3 years.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 47 km (29 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 18/06/26 01:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.