QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1Md

Earthquake near Lajas, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Lajas in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 19 km (12 mi) SE of Lajas, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in Lajas was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Lajas

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Lajas, PR, at 5:45 pm AST on 28 October 2016 (21:45 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SSE of Lajas, Puerto Rico

45 km (28 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 22 km (13 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR

5:45 pm AST, Oct 28, 2016 · · 14 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Lajas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lajas Municipio 6 kmSan Germán Municipio 9 kmSabana Grande Municipio 12 kmHormigueros Municipio 14 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 15 kmGuánica Municipio 16 kmMaricao Municipio 20 kmYauco Municipio 21 kmLas Marías Municipio 23 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
5:45 pm AST on 28 October 2016 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Lajas, PR · earthquakes near Lajas
Magnitude
M 2.1 (Md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lajas Municipio, 6 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3666 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Lajas, 3 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.

Likely felt in: San Germán 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 49 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 41 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 38 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 38 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 18.0294, -67.0477. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lajas Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) S earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) N earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Guánica 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. 1.7 1 km WNW of Monte Grande, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 12 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 20 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 11 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 3 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 10 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 6 km NNW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 8 km WSW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 5 km SSW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 3 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 14 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.3 9 km WSW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 6 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.2 3 km NW of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 13 km SSW of Guánica, 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.