QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Playa Fortuna, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Playa Fortuna in the 24 hours to 11:32 am AST (15:32 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 64 km (40 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 Playa Fortuna

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) north-northeast of Playa Fortuna, PR, at 12:41 am AST on 17 August 2017 (04:41 UTC), 44 km deep.

USGS: 18 km NNE of Playa Fortuna, Puerto Rico

42 km (26 mi) ENE of San Juan, PR · 33 km (21 mi) ENE of Carolina, PR

12:41 am AST, Aug 17, 2017 · · 44 km deep · released about 150 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Playa Fortuna Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Luquillo Municipio 19 kmFajardo Municipio 20 kmRío Grande Municipio 21 kmLoíza Municipio 28 kmCanóvanas Municipio 31 kmCeiba Municipio 32 kmCarolina Municipio 33 kmNaguabo Municipio 37 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 40 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
12:41 am AST on 17 August 2017 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) north-northeast of Playa Fortuna, PR · earthquakes near Playa Fortuna
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
44 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Luquillo Municipio, 19 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3373 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 Playa Fortuna, 18 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Luquillo, Vieques, Palmer, Hato Candal, Suárez, Ramos.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 150 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 72,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 150 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 18.5373, -65.6915. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Luquillo Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) S earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 28 km (18 mi) WSW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Canóvanas Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) SW earthquakes near Canóvanas Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 32 km (20 mi) SSE earthquakes near Ceiba 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. 3.0 20 km NNW of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.3 29 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 27 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 4 km SE of Cataño, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 2 km ESE of Humacao, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 4 km WNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 22 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 24 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 37 km NE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 4 km NNE of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 4 km SW of Gurabo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 3 km SSE of Carolina, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 9 km SSE of Aguas Claras, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.9 1 km WSW of Cataño, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.3 49 km N of Culebra, 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.