QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Carolina, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Carolina in the 24 hours to 1:18 pm AST (17:18 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 81 km (50 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Carolina

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) northeast of Carolina, PR, at 11:10 am AST on 8 August 2017 (15:10 UTC), 64 km deep.

USGS: 34 km NE of Vieques, Puerto Rico

54 km (33 mi) NE of San Juan, PR · 46 km (29 mi) NE of Carolina, PR

11:10 am AST, Aug 8, 2017 · · 64 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Carolina Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fajardo Municipio 33 kmLuquillo Municipio 36 kmRío Grande Municipio 38 kmLoíza Municipio 41 kmCarolina Municipio 47 kmCanóvanas Municipio 47 kmCeiba Municipio 48 kmSan Juan Municipio 53 kmCulebra Municipio 53 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
11:10 am AST on 8 August 2017 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) northeast of Carolina, PR · earthquakes near Carolina
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
64 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Fajardo Municipio, 33 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3382 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 Carolina, 47 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 92,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 8.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 73 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico · 39 km NNE 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 18.6825, -65.6458. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fajardo Municipio, PR 33 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) S earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 38 km (23 mi) SSW earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 41 km (25 mi) SW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Carolina Municipio, PR 47 km (29 mi) SW earthquakes near Carolina Municipio
Canóvanas Municipio, PR 47 km (29 mi) SSW earthquakes near Canóvanas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.3 49 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.4 37 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.9 59 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 24 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.0 67 km NNE of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 47 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 44 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 76 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 35 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.2 55 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.1 81 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 54 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.2 4 km WNW of Aguas Claras, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.9 53 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 25 km NNE of Luquillo, 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.