Around noon of Friday June 26th, 2026, a significant Magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit in the Caribbean Sea 74 kilometer from La Romana, Dominican Republic. Another country near the epicenter is Puerto Rico.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Caribbean Sea, 21 kilometers (13 mi) off the coast of Dominican Republic, 74 kilometer south-east of La Romana. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 82 km.
| Date and Time: | Jun 26, 2026 12:06PM (Santo Domingo Time) - Jun 26, 2026 16:06 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 74 km SE of La Romana, Dominican Republic. Coordinates 17°55'3"N 68°31'20"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.026 . |
| Depth: | 82 km (51 mi) An intermediate 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
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is La Romana in La Romana, Dominican Republic. La Romana is located 74 kilometer (46 mi) south-east of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Santo Domingo is located 157 km to the northwest. Santo Domingo Este is located 155 km to the northwest. Santiago de los Caballeros is located 286 km to the northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 74 km (46 mi) NW from epicenter |
La Romana La Romana, Dominican Republic. |
| 75 km (47 mi) N from epicenter |
Punta Cana La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. |
| 80 km (50 mi) N from epicenter |
Salvaleón de Higüey La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. |
| 102 km (63 mi) NW from epicenter |
San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. |
| 109 km (68 mi) NW from epicenter |
Santa Cruz de El Seibo El Seíbo, Dominican Republic. |
| 117 km (73 mi) NW from epicenter |
Quisqueya San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. |
| 122 km (76 mi) NW from epicenter |
Hato Mayor del Rey Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. |
| 128 km (80 mi) NW from epicenter |
Boca Chica Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 150 km (93 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bayaguana Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 150 km (93 mi) E from epicenter |
Mayagüez Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. |
| 155 km (96 mi) E from epicenter |
Aguadilla Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NW from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Este Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 157 km (98 mi) W from epicenter |
Ciudad Nueva Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 157 km (98 mi) NW from epicenter |
Villa Francisca Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 157 km (98 mi) NW from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 159 km (99 mi) NW from epicenter |
Villa Consuelo Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 162 km (101 mi) W from epicenter |
Bella Vista Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 166 km (103 mi) NW from epicenter |
Monte Plata Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 169 km (105 mi) W from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Oeste Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 169 km (105 mi) W from epicenter |
Bajos de Haina San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
| 176 km (109 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sabana Grande de Boyá Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 176 km (109 mi) W from epicenter |
San Cristóbal San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
| 177 km (110 mi) E from epicenter |
Yauco Yauco, Puerto Rico. |
| 193 km (120 mi) NW from epicenter |
Villa Altagracia San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
| 195 km (121 mi) W from epicenter |
Baní Peravia, Dominican Republic. |
| 201 km (125 mi) E from epicenter |
Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico. |
| 201 km (125 mi) E from epicenter |
Arecibo Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
| 213 km (132 mi) NW from epicenter |
Cotuí Sánchez Ramírez, Dominican Republic. |
| 215 km (134 mi) NW from epicenter |
Nagua María Trinidad Sánchez, Dominican Republic. |
| 218 km (135 mi) E from epicenter |
Barceloneta Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. |
| 221 km (137 mi) W from epicenter |
San José de Ocoa San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic. |
| 222 km (138 mi) E from epicenter |
Manatí Manatí, Puerto Rico. |
| 229 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter |
Bonao Monseñor Nouel, Dominican Republic. |
| 233 km (145 mi) E from epicenter |
Vega Baja Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 239 km (149 mi) NW from epicenter |
San Francisco de Macorís Duarte, Dominican Republic. |
| 241 km (150 mi) W from epicenter |
Azua Azua, Dominican Republic. |
| 250 km (155 mi) E from epicenter |
Cayey Cayey, Puerto Rico. |
| 254 km (158 mi) E from epicenter |
Levittown Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 255 km (158 mi) E from epicenter |
Guayama Guayama, Puerto Rico. |
| 256 km (159 mi) E from epicenter |
Bayamón Bayamón, Puerto Rico. |
| 257 km (160 mi) NW from epicenter |
Salcedo Hermanas Mirabal, Dominican Republic. |
| 257 km (160 mi) NW from epicenter |
Concepción de La Vega La Vega, Dominican Republic. |
| 259 km (161 mi) E from epicenter |
Guaynabo Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. |
| 259 km (161 mi) NW from epicenter |
Constanza La Vega, Dominican Republic. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter |
Jarabacoa La Vega, Dominican Republic. |
| 261 km (162 mi) E from epicenter |
Cataño Cataño, Puerto Rico. |
| 262 km (163 mi) E from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| 264 km (164 mi) E from epicenter |
Caguas Caguas, Puerto Rico. |
| 267 km (166 mi) NW from epicenter |
Moca Espaillat, Dominican Republic. |
| 270 km (168 mi) E from epicenter |
Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. |
| 274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter |
Santa Cruz de Barahona Barahona, Dominican Republic. |
| 276 km (171 mi) E from epicenter |
Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico. |
| 286 km (178 mi) NW from epicenter |
Santiago de los Caballeros Santiago, Dominican Republic. |
| 286 km (178 mi) E from epicenter |
Humacao Humacao, Puerto Rico. |
| 298 km (185 mi) NW from epicenter |
Monte Llano Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. |
Shaking reported by 93 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 93 people have reported shaking in 12 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:
- Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 55 people.
- El Carril, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic: 13 people.
- Otra Banda, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic: 11 people.
- La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic: 3 people.
- Boca de Yuma, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic: 3 people.
- San Pedro de Macorís, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic: 2 people.
- Ramón Santana, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- Villa Altagracia, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- Hato Mayor, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- Santiago, Santiago, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 5th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 35 km (22 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on January 7th, 2020.
In total, 29 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 4 months.
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. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 82 km (51 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/06/26 18:58 (). 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 pr2026177000
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260626_0000252
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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