QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5Md

Earthquake near Puerto Real, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Puerto Real in the 24 hours to 9:52 pm AST (01:52 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 10 km (6 mi) SE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Puerto Real

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Puerto Real, PR, at 6:17 am AST on 8 March 2017 (10:17 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 18 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico

22 km (14 mi) WSW of Mayagüez, PR · 138 km (86 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

6:17 am AST, Mar 8, 2017 · · 12 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Puerto Real Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Rincón Municipio 23 kmHormigueros Municipio 24 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 24 kmAñasco Municipio 27 kmAguada Municipio 30 kmSan Germán Municipio 33 kmMoca Municipio 38 kmLajas Municipio 38 kmLas Marías Municipio 40 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
6:17 am AST on 8 March 2017 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Puerto Real, PR · earthquakes near Puerto Real
Magnitude
M 2.5 (Md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Rincón Municipio, 23 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3536 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Puerto Real, 19 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: Puerto Real 19 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 NNE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 46 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 40 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 5 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 4 km NW 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 18.1527, -67.3442. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Rincón Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNE earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Aguada Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Aguada Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 33 km (20 mi) E earthquakes near San Germán Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 14 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 14 km NNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 28 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 34 km WNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.6 3 km ENE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 3 km SSE of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 17 km W of Stella, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.2 1 km SSW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 8 km NNE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.7 1 km NW of Monte Grande, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km W of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 6 km NNE of San Germán, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 10 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 10 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 17 km SSW of Stella, 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.