QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0Md

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 2.0 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) east of Culebra, PR, at 1:27 pm AST on 5 December 2016 (17:27 UTC), 55 km deep.

USGS: 2 km E of Culebra, Puerto Rico

84 km (52 mi) E of San Juan, PR

1:27 pm AST, Dec 5, 2016 · · 55 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Culebra Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Culebra Municipio 4 kmVieques Municipio 26 kmFajardo Municipio 34 kmCeiba Municipio 37 kmLuquillo Municipio 46 kmNaguabo Municipio 49 kmRío Grande Municipio 55 kmHumacao Municipio 57 kmLas Piedras Municipio 64 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
1:27 pm AST on 5 December 2016 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) east of Culebra, PR · earthquakes near Culebra
Magnitude
M 2.0 (Md)
Depth
55 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Culebra Municipio, 4 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3628 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, 2 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: Isabel Segunda.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 18.3066, -65.2790. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Culebra Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) NW earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Vieques Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SW earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) WNW earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) W earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 46 km (29 mi) W earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 49 km (31 mi) WSW earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 26 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  2. 2.7 34 km ESE of Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 15 km WSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 8 km SSE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 16 km NNE of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  6. 3.0 29 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  7. 2.6 13 km ESE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.2 14 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.2 40 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  10. 2.8 49 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.7 10 km WSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  12. 3.2 17 km WNW of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.9 17 km ESE of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 15 km WSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 19 km WSW of Esperanza, 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.