QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8Md

Earthquake near Maricao, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Maricao in the 24 hours to 5:25 pm AST (21:25 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 33 km (20 mi) SSE, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Maricao

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded in Maricao, PR, at 7:00 pm AST on 30 January 2017 (23:00 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 0 km ENE of Maricao, Puerto Rico

100 km (62 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 18 km (11 mi) E of Mayagüez, PR

7:00 pm AST, Jan 30, 2017 · · 13 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Maricao Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Maricao Municipio 4 kmLas Marías Municipio 5 kmSan Germán Municipio 10 kmSabana Grande Municipio 11 kmLares Municipio 15 kmHormigueros Municipio 16 kmYauco Municipio 17 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 17 kmAñasco Municipio 20 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
7:00 pm AST on 30 January 2017 ()
Where
in Maricao, PR · earthquakes near Maricao
Magnitude
M 2.8 (Md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Maricao Municipio, 4 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3486 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. 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: San Germán 13 km, intensity II · Lares 16 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 17 km, intensity II · Mayagüez 17 km, intensity II · Yauco 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 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 38 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 26 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 42 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 42 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 18.1821, -66.9767. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Maricao Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) ESE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) N earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) SW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 5 km WNW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 7 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 12 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 5 km E of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 12 km SSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 6 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 4 km W of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 23 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 11 km W of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 3 km ESE of Luyando, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 6 km WNW of Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 9 km WNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 2 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 5 km NE of San Germán, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 12 km S of La Parguera, 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.