QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3Md

Earthquake near Quebradillas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Quebradillas in the 24 hours to 10:44 pm AST (02:44 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 36 km (22 mi) NNW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Quebradillas

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) north-northeast of Quebradillas, PR, at 1:51 pm AST on 27 September 2016 (17:51 UTC), 68 km deep.

USGS: 7 km NNE of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico

91 km (57 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 21 km (13 mi) WNW of Arecibo, PR

1:51 pm AST, Sep 27, 2016 · · 68 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Quebradillas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Quebradillas Municipio 9 kmCamuy Municipio 12 kmIsabela Municipio 12 kmHatillo Municipio 17 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 24 kmAguadilla Municipio 25 kmMoca Municipio 25 kmArecibo Municipio 28 kmLares Municipio 30 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
1:51 pm AST on 27 September 2016 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) north-northeast of Quebradillas, PR · earthquakes near Quebradillas
Magnitude
M 2.3 (Md)
Depth
68 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Quebradillas Municipio, 9 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3697 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 Quebradillas, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Camuy, Hatillo, Cacao, Piedra Gorda, Isabela, Carrizales.

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 10 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 34 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 33 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 33 km W of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 30 km WNW 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 18.5424, -66.9152. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) SSE earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) WSW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
San Sebastián Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Sebastián Municipio
Aguadilla Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) WSW earthquakes near Aguadilla Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 6 km NNW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.0 14 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 21 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 3 km NW of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 6 km SSW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.8 6 km SSW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 14 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 6 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 33 km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  11. 3.4 2 km S of La Alianza, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 7 km NNE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 15 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.1 23 km NNW of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 4 km SW of La Playa, 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.