CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Two “minor” earthquakes struck in the open waters off the north coast of St. Thomas in the last four hours, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center said this morning.
The first quake of magnitude 4.7 registered 68 miles north-northwest of Charlotte Amalie at 3:07 a.m. today, the EMSC said. Its epicenter was located at latitude 19.28°N and longitude 65.22°W at a “shallow” depth of 18 miles.
The second jolt of magnitude 3.4 hit 62 miles north-northwest of St. Thomas at 5:03 a.m. today, according to EMSC. Its epicenter was located at latitude 19.19°N and longitude 65.22°W at a depth of 27 miles.
“Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter,” VolcanoDiscovery said. “Weak shaking might have been felt in Charlotte Amalie (pop. 20,000) located 109 km from the epicenter, and Cruz Bay (pop. 2,700) 115 km away.”
On Sunday, a minor earthquake was felt 63 miles northeast of Tortola.