A strong 5.5 earthquake struck the Central Mid Atlantic Ridge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at 8:40pm this evening. The energy released from the quake was the equivalent of 2,682 tons of TNT going off.
The earthquake was centered at 1.035°N 27.880°W and had a depth of 10km.
The National Weather Service Tsunami Warning Center has not issued any advisory, watch, or warning for this event. As such, it is unlikely the earthquake was in a location or had the intensity to trigger a large tsunami in the Atlantic.
In March, the U.S. hosted LANTAX ’19, a drill which revolves around a simulated tsunami. The purpose of that annual drill is to prepare first responders along the U.S. coastline of future tsunami threats that could come as a result of a large earthquake. All U.S. coastlines are vulnerable to tsunami, although the coastline on the Pacific Ocean is most vulnerable.
