Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Hits East-Southeast of Barbuda; No Major Damage Reported

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Saturday morning east-southeast of Barbuda, with early U.S. Geological Survey indicators suggesting limited impact. The USGS said the quake occurred at 10:50:03 a.m. local time in Antigua and Barbuda, or 14:50:03 UTC, with an epicenter about 70 kilometers (43 miles) east-southeast of Codrington, Barbuda. The agency listed the depth at 30.04 kilometers (18.66 miles).

The USGS issued a green alert through its PAGER system, a rapid assessment tool that estimates likely fatalities and economic losses after major earthquakes. A green alert indicates minimal expected losses. The agency’s ShakeMap estimated maximum shaking at Modified Mercalli Intensity V, and its “Did You Feel It?” public reporting page also showed a maximum reported intensity of V, based on about 97 community reports. That level is generally considered moderate shaking.

Initial regional reporting said the earthquake was felt across multiple islands in the eastern Caribbean. As of the early reporting window, there were no confirmed reports of widespread damage or casualties. Regional reports relaying guidance from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also said there was no tsunami threat from the quake.

Antigua and Barbuda are part of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean, a seismically active region shaped by plate-boundary and subduction-related tectonic forces. That geology means moderate to strong earthquakes occur there periodically. An intensity of V typically means many people feel the shaking, some unsecured objects can fall, and very light nonstructural damage is possible, even when a quake is widely felt.