Big earthquake just rolled thru here tonite/STT!

OMG ! Yesssssss ! Scared us all ! That was something!

For sure the biggest and longest quake I have ever felt in this house. Pictures fell off the walls and things off the shelves. I feel lucky it wasn't worse.

Waiting for the email from vitema to let us know more ....

4.5 epicenter 32 mi. NW of Charlotte Amalie

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/pr14225000#summary

They also have a "did you feel it" form worth filling out

Geophysical - Earthquake

Issued By: USGS
Affected Jurisdictions: Virgin Islands

Headline: USGS Earthquake Alert: M 4.9 - 48km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands

DYFI? - IV ("http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/at00na85wq#dyfi" class="mmi-IV" title="Did You Feel It? maximum reported intensity (4 reports)") Image ( ) ("http://www.tsunami.gov/" title="Tsunami Warning Center")

Time2014-08-13 03:05:14 UTC2014-08-12 23:05:14 -04:00 at epicenterLocation18.727°N 65.141°WDepth39.00 km (24.23 mi) Earthquake Distances: (Calculated within VI-Alert)

29.96 Miles from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
72.97 Miles from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
37.49 Miles from St. John, US Virgin Islands
30.77 Miles from Water Island, US Virgin Islands

The house shook but nothing fell off the walls or any surfaces.
One can usually can hear them coming. Often some sounds like a car with a very bad muffler rumbling but had windows closed and A/C on in bedroom while watching "below the decks" that I had recorded earlier. Some neighborhood dogs began to bark. Mine slept thru the whole thing!

Haven't felt one like that in a couple years but have been getting lots of USGS reports over last couple of days.

Here's VITEMA'S message:

Alert / Warning
Geophysical - Earthquake

...This is an ACTUAL EARTHQUAKE ALERT...

Issued By: VITEMA
Affected Jurisdictions: St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, Water Island Counties

Headline: 4.9 Magnitude Earthquake Felt on St. Thomas; No Tsunami Warning Issued for the Virgin Islands

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake occurred about 30 miles north northwest of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, at approximately 11:05 p.m. tonight. The epicenter was located at Latitude 18.7 degrees north and Longitude 65.1 degrees west, at a depth of about 24 miles. Residents on St. Thomas reported that the earthquake shook homes across the island, however, no injuries have been reported, according to VITEMA's 911 Emergency Communications Center.

No tsunami warning has been issued for the Virgin Islands.

since the USGS site records the quake at 4.5 how does Vitema report it as 4.9?

WOW! That was no joke! Shook the whole house and knocked stuff over. Glad no tsunami. I can't imagine some of the really bad quakes they have on film.

Nobody saw any wave action at all?

Geophysical - Earthquake

Issued By: USGS
Affected Jurisdictions: Virgin Islands

Headline: USGS Earthquake Alert: M 4.9 - 48km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands since the USGS site records the quake at 4.5 how does Vitema report it as 4.9?

See above post as below:

Geophysical - Earthquake

Issued By: USGS
Affected Jurisdictions: Virgin Islands

Headline: USGS Earthquake Alert: M 4.9 - 48km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands