QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Cabo Rojo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Cabo Rojo in the 24 hours to 5:14 pm AST (21:14 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (6 mi) SSE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) northwest of Cabo Rojo, PR, at 2:20 am AST on 4 May 2017 (06:20 UTC), 23 km deep.

USGS: 4 km NW of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

10 km (6 mi) SSW of Mayagüez, PR · 122 km (76 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

2:20 am AST, May 4, 2017 · · 23 km deep · released about 10 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hormigueros Municipio 7 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 13 kmSan Germán Municipio 14 kmAñasco Municipio 20 kmLajas Municipio 20 kmSabana Grande Municipio 24 kmLas Marías Municipio 24 kmMaricao Municipio 26 kmRincón Municipio 27 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
2:20 am AST on 4 May 2017 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) northwest of Cabo Rojo, PR · earthquakes near Cabo Rojo
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hormigueros Municipio, 7 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3478 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 Cabo Rojo, 4 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: Puerto Real, Hormigueros, Monte Grande, Boquerón, Sabana Eneas, Mayagüez.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 10 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 92× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 10 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 · 37 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 34 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 22 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 22 km WNW 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 18.1121, -67.1730. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) S earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) E earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) SE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 6 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 22 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 3 km SSW of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 24 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 13 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 15 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 0 km NNE of Lajas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 10 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 11 km NE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 Puerto Rico region
  11. 1.6 6 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 10 km ESE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.2 4 km NW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 3 km NNE of Monte Grande, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 8 km WSW 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.