QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7Md

Earthquake near Garrochales, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Garrochales in the 24 hours to 4:40 pm AST (20:40 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 12 km (7 mi) NW, at 2:05 am AST on 13 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Garrochales

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) north of Garrochales, PR, at 1:37 am AST on 13 November 2016 (05:37 UTC), 3.0 km deep.

USGS: 15 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico

57 km (36 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 24 km (15 mi) NE of Arecibo, PR

1:37 am AST, Nov 13, 2016 · · 3.0 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Garrochales Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Barceloneta Municipio 14 kmManatí Municipio 19 kmArecibo Municipio 21 kmVega Baja Municipio 24 kmFlorida Municipio 25 kmHatillo Municipio 30 kmVega Alta Municipio 30 kmCiales Municipio 34 kmMorovis Municipio 35 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
1:37 am AST on 13 November 2016 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) north of Garrochales, PR · earthquakes near Garrochales
Magnitude
M 2.7 (Md)
Depth
3.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Barceloneta Municipio, 14 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3563 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 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Garrochales, 16 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: Barceloneta 16 km, intensity II · Arecibo 21 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 4 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 26 km ESE 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 18.5953, -66.5684. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) S earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) SSE earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SE earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Florida Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 30 km (18 mi) SW earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 Mona Passage
  2. 2.5 22 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 61 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 12 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 49 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 22 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 1 km SSE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 5 km NE of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.1 20 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 18 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.4 4 km N of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 12 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 18 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 10 km N of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 34 km N of Isabela, 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.