A shallow MAG-4.8 earthquake struck in the North Atlantic Ocean 84 kilometer from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico in the evening of Thursday July 23rd, 2026. Other countries near the epicenter include Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Atlantic Ocean, 51 kilometers (32 mi) off the coast of Puerto Rico, 84 kilometer north of Mayagüez. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 9 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 23, 2026 10:42PM (Puerto Rico Time) - Jul 24, 2026 02:42 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 84 km north of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Coordinates 18°56'32"N 67°17'48"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.8 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 9 km (6 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 , U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Aguadilla in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Aguadilla is located 59 kilometer (37 mi) north of the epicenter.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Santo Domingo is located 278 km to the west. San Juan is located 136 km to the east. Santo Domingo Este is located 274 km to the west.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 59 km (37 mi) S from epicenter |
Aguadilla Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. |
| 80 km (50 mi) SE from epicenter |
Arecibo Arecibo, Puerto Rico. |
| 84 km (52 mi) S from epicenter |
Mayagüez Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. |
| 97 km (60 mi) SE from epicenter |
Barceloneta Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. |
| 102 km (63 mi) SE from epicenter |
Manatí Manatí, Puerto Rico. |
| 111 km (69 mi) SE from epicenter |
Yauco Yauco, Puerto Rico. |
| 111 km (69 mi) SE from epicenter |
Vega Baja Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 123 km (76 mi) W from epicenter |
Punta Cana La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. |
| 126 km (78 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ponce Ponce, Puerto Rico. |
| 129 km (80 mi) SE from epicenter |
Candelaria Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 130 km (81 mi) SE from epicenter |
Levittown Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. |
| 135 km (84 mi) SE from epicenter |
Bayamón Bayamón, Puerto Rico. |
| 136 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| 136 km (85 mi) SE from epicenter |
Cataño Cataño, Puerto Rico. |
| 141 km (88 mi) SE from epicenter |
Guaynabo Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. |
| 151 km (94 mi) SE from epicenter |
Trujillo Alto Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. |
| 151 km (94 mi) SE from epicenter |
Cayey Cayey, Puerto Rico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) SE from epicenter |
Caguas Caguas, Puerto Rico. |
| 153 km (95 mi) W from epicenter |
Salvaleón de Higüey La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SE from epicenter |
Carolina Carolina, Puerto Rico. |
| 164 km (102 mi) SE from epicenter |
Guayama Guayama, Puerto Rico. |
| 178 km (111 mi) SE from epicenter |
Humacao Humacao, Puerto Rico. |
| 184 km (114 mi) W from epicenter |
Santa Cruz de El Seibo El Seíbo, Dominican Republic. |
| 186 km (116 mi) E from epicenter |
Fajardo Fajardo, Puerto Rico. |
| 186 km (116 mi) W from epicenter |
La Romana La Romana, Dominican Republic. |
| 207 km (129 mi) W from epicenter |
Hato Mayor del Rey Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. |
| 219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter |
San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. |
| 226 km (140 mi) W from epicenter |
Quisqueya San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. |
| 247 km (153 mi) W from epicenter |
Bayaguana Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 249 km (155 mi) W from epicenter |
Boca Chica Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 258 km (160 mi) E from epicenter |
Charlotte Amalie Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| 262 km (163 mi) W from epicenter |
Monte Plata Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 263 km (163 mi) W from epicenter |
Sabana Grande de Boyá Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. |
| 272 km (169 mi) W from epicenter |
Nagua María Trinidad Sánchez, Dominican Republic. |
| 274 km (170 mi) W from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Este Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Villa Francisca Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 279 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Villa Consuelo Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 279 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Ciudad Nueva Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 284 km (176 mi) W from epicenter |
Bella Vista Nacional, Dominican Republic. |
| 288 km (179 mi) E from epicenter |
Road Town All regions, British Virgin Islands. |
| 289 km (180 mi) W from epicenter |
Santo Domingo Oeste Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. |
| 294 km (183 mi) W from epicenter |
Bajos de Haina San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. |
Shaking reported by 16 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 16 people have reported shaking in 5 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: 9 people.
- Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 3 people.
- Boca de Yuma, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic: 2 people.
- Miches, El Seibo, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
- Baní, Peravia, Dominican Republic: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. A 2.8 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 82 km (51 mi) south of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.3 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
1 day earlier Jul 22, 2026 05:02PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 37 km (23 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
8 hrs earlier Jul 23, 2026 02:35PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 89 km (55 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
2 hrs earlier Jul 23, 2026 08:55PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 15 km (9 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 4.8 |
Jul 23, 2026 10:42PM (Puerto Rico Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
21 hrs later Jul 24, 2026 08:02PM (Puerto Rico Time) | 28 km (17 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Jul 25, 2026 07:31AM (Puerto Rico Time) | 82 km (51 mi) S from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 June 26th, 2026, when a 5 magnitude earthquake hit 172 km (107 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on January 7th, 2020.
In total, 54 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.8 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 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 4.8. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 9 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 29/07/26 02:48 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake pr2026205000
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260724_0000037
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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