QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Culebra, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Culebra in the 24 hours to 10:09 pm AST (02:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) ENE, at 6:51 am AST on 11 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Culebra

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Culebra, PR, at 7:05 am AST on 16 August 2017 (11:05 UTC), 110 km deep.

USGS: 7 km SE of Culebra, Puerto Rico

87 km (54 mi) ESE of San Juan, PR

7:05 am AST, Aug 16, 2017 · · 110 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Culebra Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Culebra Municipio 10 kmVieques Municipio 23 kmFajardo Municipio 38 kmCeiba Municipio 38 kmLuquillo Municipio 50 kmNaguabo Municipio 51 kmHumacao Municipio 57 kmRío Grande Municipio 59 kmLas Piedras Municipio 65 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
7:05 am AST on 16 August 2017 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) southeast of Culebra, PR · earthquakes near Culebra
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
110 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Culebra Municipio, 10 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3375 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 Culebra, 8 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: Isabel Segunda, Esperanza.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 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 5.8 970,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 680,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 61× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 18.2466, -65.2571. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Culebra Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) NNW earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Vieques Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) SW earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) W earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 51 km (32 mi) W earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 8 km SE of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.2 26 km NW of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.1 36 km NW of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
  4. 3.2 7 km WSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  5. 3.1 6 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 1 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 35 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.2 10 km NNE of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. 3.3 12 km S of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  10. 3.0 20 km NNW of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.7 13 km W of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.3 31 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  13. 3.1 4 km W of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.9 21 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
  15. 3.4 18 km S of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands

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.