Tortola, Monday January 22nd, 2007 - A minor
earthquake measuring a magnitude of 3.7 on the Richter scale was felt
in the Virgin Islands at 6:39 early this morning. The Puerto Rico
Seismic Research Unit instruments located the epicenter of the
earthquake at 18.56-north latitude and 65.03-west longitude, or 25 km
north-northwest of St. Thomas USVI. The depth of the earthquake was
22.9 kilometers. The maximum intensity was recorded as III in the
Virgin Islands according to the Modified Mercalli Scale.
At the time of generating this news release no damage has been reported.
Persons who have felt the earthquake
can assist the Puerto Rico Seismic Network in determining its intensity
by logging on to http://redsismica.uprm.edu and completing a simple
electronic form.
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Natasha Lettsome, Information Training Manager Department for Disaster Management Tortola, BVI Tel: (284) 494-4499 E-Mail: nlettsome@gov.vg
