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M3.4 Earthquake near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands — 21 September 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.4 was recorded near Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands on , with an epicentre 53 km north of Cruz Bay, at a focal depth of 85.5 km. It ranked as the 14th strongest of 31 earthquakes recorded in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the preceding 30 days.

3.4 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-09-21 08:00:55

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 3.4 (minor)

Focal depth: 85.5 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 18.8103, -64.7923

Location: 53 km N of Cruz Bay, 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 1.8 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 177, 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 03:41 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 96% of the 857 earthquakes recorded in the U.S. Virgin Islands in our catalogue and stronger than 54% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 18.8103, -64.7923 — 53 km north of Cruz Bay. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.9 earthquake 6 km west-northwest of here on 10 September 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Charlotte Amalie (85 km south-southwest), Bajandas (129 km southwest), Campo Rico (130 km west-southwest) and Carolina (131 km west-southwest).

Why the 85 km depth matters

At 85 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; 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

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 hours since this event.

78 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 2,291 times less energy than that event.

770 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 50 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 September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in the U.S. Virgin Islands during September 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 Cruz Bay?

It measured magnitude 3.4 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.4 earthquake radiates roughly 1.8 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Cruz Bay?

The focus was 85 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Cruz Bay earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 3.4 and a focal depth of 85 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Cruz Bay happen?

21 September 2026 at 08:00 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

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

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 2 hours since this event.

How often do earthquakes happen near Cruz Bay?

78 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 2,291 times less energy than that event.