QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Franquez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Franquez in the 24 hours to 6:57 pm AST (22:57 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 71 km (44 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 Franquez

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Franquez, PR, at 3:16 pm AST on 14 August 2017 (19:16 UTC), 113 km deep.

USGS: 2 km NNE of Franquez, Puerto Rico

38 km (23 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 27 km (17 mi) W of Bayamón, PR

3:16 pm AST, Aug 14, 2017 · · 113 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Franquez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Morovis Municipio 5 kmVega Baja Municipio 10 kmCorozal Municipio 12 kmVega Alta Municipio 12 kmManatí Municipio 12 kmCiales Municipio 13 kmFlorida Municipio 15 kmOrocovis Municipio 16 kmToa Alta Municipio 18 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
3:16 pm AST on 14 August 2017 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Franquez, PR · earthquakes near Franquez
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
113 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Morovis Municipio, 5 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3285 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Franquez, 3 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Barahona, Morovis, Miranda, Ciales, Coto Norte, Vega Baja.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 · 27 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 32 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 17 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 18.3636, -66.4173. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Morovis Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) S earthquakes near Morovis Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) NNE earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Corozal Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) SE earthquakes near Corozal Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SW earthquakes near Ciales Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 2 km ESE of Mariano Colón, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 1 km NW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 3 km E of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.1 4 km NNE of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.6 0 km ESE of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 28 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 16 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.0 10 km NNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 1 km ESE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 12 km WNW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 6 km NNW of Bairoa, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 6 km NNE of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 3 km NW of Guayabal, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  15. 2.7 1 km SSE of Brenas, 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.