QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.7md

70 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico

Yes. A magnitude 4.7 earthquake was recorded 70 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, at 10:19 pm AST on 16 July 2017 (02:19 UTC), 34 km deep. 33 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

· 34 km deep · released about 150 tons of TNT

Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Quebradillas Municipio 75 kmIsabela Municipio 75 kmHatillo Municipio 76 kmCamuy Municipio 76 kmBarceloneta Municipio 77 kmArecibo Municipio 78 kmAguadilla Municipio 81 kmManatí Municipio 81 kmVega Baja Municipio 85 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
Magnitude
M 4.7 (md)
Depth
34 km below the surface
Felt
33 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Quebradillas Municipio, 75 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3319 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 151 km (94 mi) from the epicentre. 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 150 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,100× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 51× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.7 about 150 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 310× more

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. The previous largest was M 4.0 on 2017-03-24.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 12 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 43 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 10 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 81 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico · 19 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 78 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico · 15 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 78 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 24 km E 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 19.1255, -66.7793. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 75 km (47 mi) SSW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 75 km (47 mi) SSW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 76 km (47 mi) S earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 76 km (47 mi) S earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 77 km (48 mi) SSE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 78 km (48 mi) S earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 74 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 68 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 64 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 62 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 113 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 84 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.0 47 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 57 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 91 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 51 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.6 57 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 55 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.1 62 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 76 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 33 km NNE of Isabela, 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.