U.S. state profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands has catalogued 222 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 7th of 39 U.S. states), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.2.
U.S. Virgin Islands ranks 7th of 39 U.S. states and territories by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately active state, averaging about 11 M4+ events a year alongside 4 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Below: the full M6+ event history, magnitude and depth profile, and yearly trend.
- 222
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 4
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.2
- Strongest
- ~11
- M4+ per year
The verdict
U.S. Virgin Islands is more seismically active than most places tracked here, with 222 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 4 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.2.
- 1919
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 54 km
- average recorded event depth
- 75%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.3 - most events are moderate tremors felt but rarely damaging. On the M4+ activity ladder Oregon sits immediately above at 267 events and Hawaii sits immediately below at 206.
Catalog event strip
Event tape VI · U.S. Virgin Islands M4+ · 7th/39
U.S. Virgin Islands · 222 M4+ · max M6.2 · 4 M6+
- BUSY 222
- SHAL 7th/39
- PCT M6.2
- VS-PEER 4
- COMCAT near Oregon
- TAPE 75% shallow
Stamps derive from this jurisdiction's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Most active U.S. regions → · All state catalog rows → · States ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 1 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 4.1. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 1
- Average observed MMI
- 4.1
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where U.S. Virgin Islands sits in the catalog
Rank 7th of 39 tracked U.S. states and territories (82th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Oregon sits immediately above at 267 events and Hawaii sits immediately below at 206.
U.S. Virgin Islands's M4+ count vs. every tracked state
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
222 Top 18% higher than 82% of 39 states
Each bar is a 100-wide band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
Major (M6+) earthquakes in U.S. Virgin Islands by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1919
1919: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1970
1970: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2001
2001: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2008
2008: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows U.S. Virgin Islands's most active year for major earthquakes was 1919 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 4 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for U.S. Virgin Islands.
M6.0–6.9
4
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 4 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 54 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
3
75% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
1
25.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Seismic hazard context
Catalogued counts on this page are history, not a building-code hazard map. U.S. Virgin Islands's latest M4+ catalog entry is dated Aug 1, 2026. For the national PGA design-basis tiers, see the seismic risk maps guide or the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model.
Strongest earthquakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
The 4 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 131 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands | 15.0 km | Sep 6, 1919 |
| 6.1 | 91 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | 23.0 km | Oct 11, 2008 |
| 6.1 | 22 km NNE of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | 143.0 km | Jul 8, 1970 |
| 6.0 | 112 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | 33.0 km | Oct 17, 2001 |
Significant earthquake record (4 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in U.S. Virgin Islands since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 91 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | 23.0 km | Oct 11, 2008 |
| 6.0 | 112 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands | 33.0 km | Oct 17, 2001 |
| 6.1 | 22 km NNE of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | 143.0 km | Jul 8, 1970 |
| 6.2 | 131 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands | 15.0 km | Sep 6, 1919 |
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A U.S. Virgin Islands-keyed shuffle of states with a recorded max magnitude. Layout order flips by state so sibling pages do not open the same block first.
Other states in this catalog sample
A second U.S. Virgin Islands-keyed shuffle of the full 38-state roster (not ABS-gap nearest neighbors).
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.