QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3Md

Earthquake near Lares, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Lares in the 24 hours to 11:30 pm AST (03:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 39 km (24 mi) S, at 3:58 pm AST on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Lares

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) south-southeast of Lares, PR, at 8:44 am AST on 23 September 2016 (12:44 UTC), 34 km deep.

USGS: 7 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico

84 km (52 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 27 km (17 mi) SSW of Arecibo, PR

8:44 am AST, Sep 23, 2016 · · 34 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Lares Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lares Municipio 6 kmAdjuntas Municipio 10 kmMaricao Municipio 12 kmLas Marías Municipio 14 kmUtuado Municipio 15 kmYauco Municipio 16 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 17 kmSabana Grande Municipio 20 kmHatillo Municipio 24 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
8:44 am AST on 23 September 2016 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) south-southeast of Lares, PR · earthquakes near Lares
Magnitude
M 2.3 (Md)
Depth
34 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lares Municipio, 6 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3702 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Lares, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Juncal, Cayuco, Quebrada, Adjuntas, Utuado, Maricao.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 46 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 47 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 30 km NW of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 18.2308, -66.8427. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lares Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 10 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) WSW earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) W earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Utuado Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Yauco Municipio

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

53 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.7 1 km WNW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 15 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 10 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 7 km NNW of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 5 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 8 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 1 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 1 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 6 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 6 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 16 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 1 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 1 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 3 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 13 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.