QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Palmarejo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Palmarejo in the 24 hours to 12:58 pm AST (16:58 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) SW, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Palmarejo

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded in Palmarejo, PR, at 11:23 pm AST on 15 May 2017 (03:23 UTC), 20 km deep.

USGS: 1 km NW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico

18 km (11 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR · 115 km (72 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

11:23 pm AST, May 15, 2017 · · 20 km deep · released about 22 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Palmarejo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Germán Municipio 8 kmLajas Municipio 10 kmHormigueros Municipio 10 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 11 kmSabana Grande Municipio 15 kmGuánica Municipio 21 kmMaricao Municipio 21 kmLas Marías Municipio 23 kmYauco Municipio 25 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
11:23 pm AST on 15 May 2017 ()
Where
in Palmarejo, PR · earthquakes near Palmarejo
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Germán Municipio, 8 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3465 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. 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: Lajas, Sabana Eneas, Monte Grande, San Germán, Cabo Rojo, Boquerón.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 22 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 680,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 480,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 43× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 22 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 45 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 39 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 33 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 33 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 18.0508, -67.0895. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Germán Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 9 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 11 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 4 km ENE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.2 13 km W of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.5 3 km S of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 Mona Passage
  8. 3.0 31 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 14 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 1 km ENE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 17 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 7 km WNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.9 34 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 31 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.5 6 km SSE of Pole Ojea, 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.