QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Sabana Grande, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Sabana Grande in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 16 km (10 mi) SSE of Sabana Grande, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in Sabana Grande was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Sabana Grande

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Sabana Grande, PR, at 3:34 pm AST on 6 August 2017 (19:34 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 6 km NNW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

41 km (26 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR · 18 km (11 mi) ESE of Mayagüez, PR

3:34 pm AST, Aug 6, 2017 · · 12 km deep · released about 17 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sabana Grande Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Germán Municipio 5 kmSabana Grande Municipio 6 kmMaricao Municipio 8 kmLas Marías Municipio 12 kmHormigueros Municipio 13 kmYauco Municipio 15 kmLajas Municipio 17 kmGuánica Municipio 21 kmLares Municipio 21 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
3:34 pm AST on 6 August 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north-northwest of Sabana Grande, PR · earthquakes near Sabana Grande
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Germán Municipio, 5 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3384 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Sabana Grande, 6 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: San Germán 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 17 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 5.8 900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 640,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 57× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 17 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 · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 32 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 41 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 40 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 18.1235, -66.9920. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Germán Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) SE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) N earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) W earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 4 km SW of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 8 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 2 km WNW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 1 km WSW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 3 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 Mona Passage
  7. 2.0 2 km ESE of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 2 km N of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 11 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 4 km SW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 4 km ENE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 9 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 7 km W of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 2 km SW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 4 km NNW of Las Marías, 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.