QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7Md

Earthquake near Puerto Real, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Puerto Real in the 24 hours to 4:41 pm AST (20:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 10 km (6 mi) SE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Puerto Real

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Puerto Real, PR, at 10:53 am AST on 22 October 2016 (14:53 UTC), 17 km deep.

USGS: 19 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico

24 km (15 mi) WSW of Mayagüez, PR · 140 km (87 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

10:53 am AST, Oct 22, 2016 · · 17 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Puerto Real Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Rincón Municipio 24 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 25 kmHormigueros Municipio 26 kmAñasco Municipio 29 kmAguada Municipio 31 kmSan Germán Municipio 34 kmLajas Municipio 39 kmMoca Municipio 39 kmLas Marías Municipio 41 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
10:53 am AST on 22 October 2016 ()
Where
20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Puerto Real, PR · earthquakes near Puerto Real
Magnitude
M 2.7 (Md)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Rincón Municipio, 24 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3583 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Puerto Real, 20 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: Stella, Cabo Rojo, Mayagüez, La Playa, Boquerón, Rincón.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 36 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 41 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 5 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 3 km NNW 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 18.1476, -67.3581. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Rincón Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) E earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 29 km (18 mi) ENE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Aguada Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Aguada Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) E earthquakes near San Germán Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 10 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 8 km WSW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 3 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.7 14 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 9 km WSW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 3 km NW of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 32 km W of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 6 km SSW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 6 km SSW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 3 km W of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.2 Mona Passage
  12. 1.7 6 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 34 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 9 km SE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 5 km WSW of La Parguera, 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.