QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Hormigueros, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Hormigueros in the 24 hours to 1:01 pm AST (17:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 15 km (9 mi) S, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Hormigueros

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) east-northeast of Hormigueros, PR, at 1:01 am AST on 24 May 2017 (05:01 UTC), 23 km deep.

USGS: 5 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico

8 km (5 mi) SE of Mayagüez, PR · 111 km (69 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

1:01 am AST, May 24, 2017 · · 23 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Hormigueros Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hormigueros Municipio 4 kmSan Germán Municipio 8 kmLas Marías Municipio 14 kmAñasco Municipio 15 kmMaricao Municipio 16 kmSabana Grande Municipio 17 kmLajas Municipio 21 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 21 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 22 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
1:01 am AST on 24 May 2017 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) east-northeast of Hormigueros, PR · earthquakes near Hormigueros
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hormigueros Municipio, 4 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3458 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 Hormigueros, 5 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: Mayagüez, Sabana Eneas, Monte Grande, San Germán, Cabo Rojo, Maricao.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 930,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 660,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 59× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 · 34 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 27 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 30 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 30 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 18.1610, -67.0845. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) SW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NNW earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) E earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2 km S of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 0 km NW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 31 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 14 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 3 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 32 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  8. 2.6 8 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.5 6 km W of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 9 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.2 11 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 4 km ENE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 Puerto Rico region
  14. 2.2 13 km W of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.5 3 km S of Palmarejo, 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.