QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Río Lajas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Río Lajas in the 24 hours to 12:45 am AST (04:45 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 88 km (55 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 Río Lajas

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded in Río Lajas, PR, at 11:44 am AST on 13 July 2017 (15:44 UTC), 59 km deep.

USGS: 1 km S of Río Lajas, Puerto Rico

11 km (7 mi) W of Bayamón, PR

11:44 am AST, Jul 13, 2017 · · 59 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Río Lajas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Toa Alta Municipio 3 kmVega Alta Municipio 9 kmDorado Municipio 10 kmNaranjito Municipio 10 kmCorozal Municipio 11 kmBayamón Municipio 11 kmToa Baja Municipio 11 kmCataño Municipio 14 kmVega Baja Municipio 16 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
11:44 am AST on 13 July 2017 ()
Where
in Río Lajas, PR · earthquakes near Río Lajas
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
59 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Toa Alta Municipio, 3 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3409 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: San José, Toa Alta, Galateo, H. Rivera Colon, Campanilla, Mucarabones.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 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 · 37 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 20 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 15 km NNW 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 18.3828, -66.2680. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) SE earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NW earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) N earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio
Corozal Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Corozal Municipio
Bayamón Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Bayamón Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 0 km ESE of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 35 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.1 28 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.0 10 km NNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 1 km ESE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 6 km NNW of Bairoa, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 3 km NW of Guayabal, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  9. 2.7 1 km SSE of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 15 km NNE of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 5 km ESE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.0 1 km SE of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 15 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 3 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.8 32 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, 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.