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M3.4 Earthquake near Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands — 28 March 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.4 was recorded near Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands on , with an epicentre 82 km east-northeast of Christiansted, at a focal depth of 139.6 km. It ranked as the 5th strongest of 32 earthquakes recorded in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the preceding 30 days.

3.4 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-03-28 19:34:35

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 3.4 (minor)

Focal depth: 139.6 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 18.0485, -63.9902

Location: 82 km ENE of Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands

Country: U.S. Virgin Islands

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake radiates roughly 2.1 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 181, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 15:18 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 100% of the 852 earthquakes recorded in the U.S. Virgin Islands in our catalogue and stronger than 62% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 18.0485, -63.9902 — 82 km east-northeast of Christiansted. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.2 earthquake 59 km northwest of here on 10 September 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Blowing Point Village (90 km east), Charlotte Amalie (111 km west), Bajandas (188 km west) and Campo Rico (206 km west).

Why the 140 km depth matters

At 140 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M3.4 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 140 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

137 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 5.0.

73 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.6 event near Cruz Bay on 04 May 2025. This M3.4 event released about 1,995 times less energy than that event.

105 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 12 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the March 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the U.S. Virgin Islands during March 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in the U.S. Virgin Islands

All recorded earthquakes in the U.S. Virgin Islands →

Other magnitude 3 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 3 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Christiansted?

It measured magnitude 3.4 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.4 earthquake radiates roughly 2.1 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Christiansted?

The focus was 140 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Christiansted earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 3.4 and a focal depth of 140 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Christiansted happen?

28 March 2026 at 19:34 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

137 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 5.0.

How often do earthquakes happen near Christiansted?

73 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.6 event near Cruz Bay on 04 May 2025. This M3.4 event released about 1,995 times less energy than that event.