QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Mayagüez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Mayagüez in the 24 hours to 4:29 pm AST (20:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) SSE, at 3:17 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mayagüez

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southwest of Mayagüez, PR, at 8:18 pm AST on 22 April 2017 (00:18 UTC), 25 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

in Mayagüez, PR · 119 km (74 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

8:18 pm AST, Apr 22, 2017 · · 25 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mayagüez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hormigueros Municipio 7 kmAñasco Municipio 12 kmSan Germán Municipio 16 kmRincón Municipio 20 kmLas Marías Municipio 20 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 21 kmAguada Municipio 22 kmMoca Municipio 23 kmMaricao Municipio 24 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
8:18 pm AST on 22 April 2017 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southwest of Mayagüez, PR · earthquakes near Mayagüez
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hormigueros Municipio, 7 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3489 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Mayagüez, 3 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: Hormigueros, Cabo Rojo, Espino, Añasco, La Playa, Monte Grande.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.1 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.1 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 · 29 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 42 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 26 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 22 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 22 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 18.1823, -67.1620. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) SE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Rincón Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NNW earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near Cabo Rojo 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. 2.9 38 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 7 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 2 km SW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 Puerto Rico region
  5. 1.6 19 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 24 km WNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 13 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.6 12 km SSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 14 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 12 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 11 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 10 km WSW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 2 km S of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 5 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 Mona Passage

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.