QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2Md

Earthquake near Loíza, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Loíza in the 24 hours to 8:30 am AST (12:30 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 78 km (48 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Loíza

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) north of Loíza, PR, at 1:56 pm AST on 5 December 2016 (17:56 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 9 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico

24 km (15 mi) ENE of San Juan, PR · 17 km (10 mi) NE of Carolina, PR

1:56 pm AST, Dec 5, 2016 · · 11 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Loíza Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Loíza Municipio 11 kmCarolina Municipio 17 kmRío Grande Municipio 18 kmCanóvanas Municipio 21 kmSan Juan Municipio 24 kmLuquillo Municipio 24 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 25 kmGurabo Municipio 30 kmCataño Municipio 31 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
1:56 pm AST on 5 December 2016 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) north of Loíza, PR · earthquakes near Loíza
Magnitude
M 2.2 (Md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Loíza Municipio, 11 km SW
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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Loíza, 10 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: Loíza 10 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 40 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 50 km W 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 18.5207, -65.8704. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Loíza Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Carolina Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) SW earthquakes near Carolina Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) SSE earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Canóvanas Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near Canóvanas Municipio
San Juan Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Juan Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SE earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 39 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 1 km N of Candelaria Arenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.9 42 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 10 km SSE of Daguao, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.0 49 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 14 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 43 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 35 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 1 km NW of Bayamón, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 28 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 6 km NNE of Levittown, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.9 Puerto Rico region
  13. 3.0 50 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 44 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.2 53 km NNE of Vieques, 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.