QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9Md

Earthquake near Maricao, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Maricao in the 24 hours to 10:02 pm AST (02:02 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 2.9 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Maricao, PR, at 3:47 pm AST on 27 February 2017 (19:47 UTC), 127 km deep.

USGS: 4 km W of Maricao, Puerto Rico

13 km (8 mi) E of Mayagüez, PR · 104 km (65 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

3:47 pm AST, Feb 27, 2017 · · 127 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Maricao Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Las Marías Municipio 7 kmSan Germán Municipio 8 kmMaricao Municipio 9 kmHormigueros Municipio 11 kmSabana Grande Municipio 13 kmAñasco Municipio 17 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 18 kmLares Municipio 20 kmYauco 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
3:47 pm AST on 27 February 2017 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Maricao, PR · earthquakes near Maricao
Magnitude
M 2.9 (Md)
Depth
127 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Las Marías Municipio, 7 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3459 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 Maricao, 5 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: San Germán, Hormigueros, Sabana Eneas, Mayagüez, Sabana Grande, Monte Grande.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 · 35 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 25 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 37 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 37 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 18.1788, -67.0227. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Las Marías Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) NE earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) E earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) NW earthquakes near Añasco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 10 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 17 km SSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 10 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 5 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 Mona Passage
  6. 2.4 9 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 14 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 10 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 2 km NNE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 Puerto Rico region
  12. 1.8 12 km SSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 4 km WSW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 0 km WNW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 15 km S of Guánica, 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.