News Release: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A 5.3-magnitude earthquake that struck in open water Wednesday was felt in several Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico.
The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred 42 miles east-southeast of Cruz Bay in the US Virgin Islands at a relatively shallow depth of six miles.
Erik Ackerson, spokesman for the Virgin Islands’ emergency management agency, told The Associated Press that no damage has been reported by midafternoon.
“It was a nice rolling shake,” he said.
The USGS notes that Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands are located between the North American and Caribbean plates, which have caused large earthquakes and deadly tsunamis.
