QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1Md

Earthquake near Dorado, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Dorado in the 24 hours to 5:25 pm AST (21:25 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 92 km (57 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Dorado

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 20 km (13 mi) north of Dorado, PR, at 12:56 pm AST on 19 January 2017 (16:56 UTC), 64 km deep.

USGS: 20 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico

33 km (20 mi) NW of San Juan, PR · 30 km (19 mi) NNW of Bayamón, PR

12:56 pm AST, Jan 19, 2017 · · 64 km deep · released about 1,300 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Dorado Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dorado Municipio 18 kmToa Baja Municipio 21 kmCataño Municipio 24 kmVega Alta Municipio 25 kmVega Baja Municipio 26 kmToa Alta Municipio 31 kmSan Juan Municipio 31 kmBayamón Municipio 33 kmManatí Municipio 34 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
12:56 pm AST on 19 January 2017 ()
Where
20 km (13 mi) north of Dorado, PR · earthquakes near Dorado
Magnitude
M 3.1 (Md)
Depth
64 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Dorado Municipio, 18 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3583 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 Dorado, 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: Brenas, Toa Baja, San Antonio, Ingenio, Levittown, Sabana.

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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 35 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 66 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 49 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 44 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 18 km SSW 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 18.6397, -66.2471. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dorado Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) S earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SSE earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) SSW earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SW earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) S earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 6 km ENE of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 10 km NNE of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 3 km SE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 47 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.7 10 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.5 17 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 8 km ENE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 14 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 11 km NNW of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 1 km SE of Ceiba, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.8 4 km NE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.0 11 km NE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.9 6 km SW of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.9 44 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.6 1 km N of Candelaria Arenas, 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.