5.5 quake 16 Feb 1:50 am (GMT -5)

A shallow magnitude 5.5 earthquake was reported early morning near Port-de-Paix, Nord-Ouest, Haiti.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Thursday, February 16th, 2023, at 1:50 am local time at a shallow depth of 16.4 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. Magnitude and other quake parameters can still change in the coming hours as the agency continues to process seismic data.
A second report was later issued by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), which listed it as a magnitude 5.5 earthquake as well. Other agencies reporting the same quake include Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) at magnitude 5.5, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 5.3, the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake at magnitude 5.5, and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 5.5.
Generally quakes of this magnitude are recorded by more than one agency and the results can vary, with subsequent reports that come in after the first one often showing more accuracy.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Baie de Henne (pop. 1,700) located 55 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Maisi (pop. 28,300) located 82 km from the epicenter, Port-de-Paix (pop. 250,000) 101 km away, Gonaives (pop. 85,000) 111 km away, and Jeremie (pop. 97,500) 115 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.