QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Dorado, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Dorado in the 24 hours to 2:29 am AST (06:29 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 92 km (57 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Dorado

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) north-northeast of Dorado, PR, at 3:19 am AST on 11 May 2017 (07:19 UTC), 21 km deep.

USGS: 10 km NNE of Dorado, Puerto Rico

22 km (14 mi) NW of San Juan, PR · 19 km (12 mi) NNW of Bayamón, PR

3:19 am AST, May 11, 2017 · · 21 km deep · released about 530 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Dorado Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dorado Municipio 8 kmToa Baja Municipio 10 kmCataño Municipio 13 kmVega Alta Municipio 17 kmToa Alta Municipio 20 kmSan Juan Municipio 21 kmVega Baja Municipio 21 kmBayamón Municipio 22 kmGuaynabo 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
3:19 am AST on 11 May 2017 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) north-northeast of Dorado, PR · earthquakes near Dorado
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Dorado Municipio, 8 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3470 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Dorado, 10 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: Dorado 10 km, intensity II · Levittown 11 km, intensity II · San Antonio 13 km, intensity II · San Juan 15 km, intensity II · Cataño 15 km, intensity II · Bayamón 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 530 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 29,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 20,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 530 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 36 km W of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 32 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 13 km WSW 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 18.5396, -66.2200. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dorado Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SSW earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) SSE earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SE earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) SW earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) S earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
San Juan Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SE earthquakes near San Juan Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 5 km NE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 2 km W of Aibonito, Puerto Rico
  3. 4.8 53 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.0 6 km NW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 2 km NNE of Franquez, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 7 km NW of Sumidero, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 7 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 12 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 30 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 1 km N of Pueblito del Rio, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.1 24 km NNW of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.3 51 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 3 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.4 29 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.1 1 km NW of Bayamón, 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.