Above: a map of the quake (Graphic: USGS)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A 4.0-magnitude earthquake shook the southern coast of the Dominican Republic early Monday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake’s epicentre was approximately 17 kilometres south-southwest of La Romana, and about 100 kilometres east-southeast of Santo Domingo.

It occurred at a depth of 99 kilometres at around 12:36 AM local time.

It was one of three earthquakes in the Caribbean region in the past 24 hours that had magnitudes of more than 3.9 on the Richter scale. The closest to this morning’s quake was a 3.9-magnitude quake near the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.

There were not yet any reports of damage or injuries.