In the early morning of Monday July 20th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.2 aftershock hit in the Caribbean Sea 23 kilometer from Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago. Other nearby countries are Grenada, Venezuela, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Saint Lucia.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Caribbean Sea, right off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago (10 mi offshore), 23 kilometer north of Scarborough in Tobago. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 84 km.
| Date and Time: | Jul 20, 2026 05:45 (Port of Spain Time) - Jul 20, 2026 09:45 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 23 km north of Scarborough, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago. Coordinates 11°22'27"N 60°48'15"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| Depth: | 84 km (52 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
6 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Trinidad and Tobago , Grenada , Venezuela , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Barbados and Saint Lucia .
Located 23 kilometer (14 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Scarborough (Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 23 km (14 mi) S from epicenter |
Scarborough Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 94 km (58 mi) S from epicenter |
Sangre Grande Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 97 km (60 mi) SW from epicenter |
Arima Borough of Arima, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 101 km (63 mi) SW from epicenter |
Paradise Tunapuna/Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 103 km (64 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tunapuna Tunapuna/Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 111 km (69 mi) SW from epicenter |
Port of Spain Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 111 km (69 mi) SW from epicenter |
Laventille San Juan-Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 116 km (72 mi) SW from epicenter |
Chaguanas Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 126 km (78 mi) S from epicenter |
Rio Claro Mayaro, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 128 km (80 mi) NW from epicenter |
Saint George's Saint George, Grenada. |
| 138 km (86 mi) SW from epicenter |
Marabella San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 140 km (87 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mon Repos San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 142 km (88 mi) SW from epicenter |
San Fernando San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 164 km (102 mi) SW from epicenter |
Point Fortin Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago. |
| 186 km (116 mi) SW from epicenter |
Güiria Sucre, Venezuela. |
| 203 km (126 mi) N from epicenter |
Kingstown Saint George, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. |
| 204 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Kingstown Park Saint George, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NE from epicenter |
Bridgetown Saint Michael, Barbados. |
| 279 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Carúpano Sucre, Venezuela. |
| 287 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Caripito Monagas, Venezuela. |
| 291 km (181 mi) SW from epicenter |
Tucupita Delta Amacuro, Venezuela. |
| 292 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Castries Castries, Saint Lucia. |
Shaking reported by 18 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 18 people have reported shaking in 7 places in 2 countries (Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Mucurapo, Diego Martín, Trinidad and Tobago: 6 people.
- Port of Spain, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: 5 people.
- Scarborough, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago: 3 people.
- Chaguanas, Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago: 1 person.
- Biabou, Charlotte, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines: 1 person.
- Tunapuna, Tunapuna-Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago: 1 person.
- Sangre Grande, Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago: 1 person.
This is likely an aftershock
Approximately 9 sec before this earthquake hit, a larger 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck 22 km (13 mi) east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.2 earthquake as an aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 5.2 |
Jul 20, 2026 05:45 (Port of Spain Time) | - |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
9 sec later Jul 20, 2026 05:45 (Port of Spain Time) | 22 km (13 mi) W from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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. In total, 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 year.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 84 km (52 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 21/07/26 06:58 (). 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 us7000t1wn
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
