QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1Md

Earthquake near Camuy, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Camuy in the 24 hours to 3:19 am AST (07:19 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 39 km (25 mi) NNW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Camuy

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 20 km (12 mi) north of Camuy, PR, at 6:23 pm AST on 12 December 2016 (22:23 UTC), 65 km deep.

USGS: 19 km N of Camuy, Puerto Rico

90 km (56 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 27 km (17 mi) NNW of Arecibo, PR

6:23 pm AST, Dec 12, 2016 · · 65 km deep · released about 1,300 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Camuy Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Quebradillas Municipio 23 kmCamuy Municipio 24 kmIsabela Municipio 25 kmHatillo Municipio 26 kmArecibo Municipio 33 kmAguadilla Municipio 35 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 38 kmMoca Municipio 39 kmBarceloneta Municipio 39 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
6:23 pm AST on 12 December 2016 ()
Where
20 km (12 mi) north of Camuy, PR · earthquakes near Camuy
Magnitude
M 3.1 (Md)
Depth
65 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Quebradillas Municipio, 23 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3535 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Camuy, 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: Hatillo, Carrizales, Quebradillas, Isabela, Corcovado, Piedra Gorda.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,300 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 11,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,300 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.4× more

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 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 38 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 34 km W of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 43 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 44 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 40 km WSW 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 18.6616, -66.8704. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) SSW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) S earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 33 km (20 mi) SE earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Aguadilla Municipio, PR 35 km (22 mi) SW earthquakes near Aguadilla Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 36 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.0 49 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 42 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.0 3 km ESE of Luyando, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.3 48 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 38 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 11 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 11 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 8 km N of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 Mona Passage
  11. 3.2 36 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 22 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 12 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 49 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 22 km NNE 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.