QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3Md

Earthquake near Culebra, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Culebra in the last 24 hours. M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) ENE of Culebra, at 6:51 am AST on 11 November 2026 (10:51 UTC); the estimated shaking in Culebra was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Culebra

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) east of Culebra, PR, at 12:30 pm AST on 18 October 2016 (16:30 UTC), 106 km deep.

USGS: 12 km E of Culebra, Puerto Rico

93 km (58 mi) E of San Juan, PR

12:30 pm AST, Oct 18, 2016 · · 106 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Culebra Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Culebra Municipio 13 kmVieques Municipio 31 kmFajardo Municipio 44 kmCeiba Municipio 46 kmLuquillo Municipio 56 kmNaguabo Municipio 58 kmRío Grande Municipio 65 kmHumacao Municipio 65 kmLas Piedras Municipio 73 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
12:30 pm AST on 18 October 2016 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) east of Culebra, PR · earthquakes near Culebra
Magnitude
M 2.3 (Md)
Depth
106 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Culebra Municipio, 13 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3677 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 Culebra, 12 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.

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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 18.2831, -65.1884. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Culebra Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Vieques Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) SW earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 44 km (27 mi) WNW earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 46 km (28 mi) W earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 56 km (35 mi) W earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 58 km (36 mi) W earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 23 km SW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  2. 2.2 31 km NNE of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 43 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  4. 2.1 19 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  5. 2.8 11 km NNE of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
  6. 2.6 20 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 22 km S of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  8. 1.8 10 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 11 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 27 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  11. 2.2 19 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 25 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  13. 1.9 15 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  14. 3.1 31 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  15. 2.7 13 km S of Culebra, 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.