QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 11:14 pm AST (03:14 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 2:05 am AST on 29 August 2017 (06:05 UTC), 4.0 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

38 km (24 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

2:05 am AST, Aug 29, 2017 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 8 kmLajas Municipio 13 kmGuayanilla Municipio 22 kmSabana Grande Municipio 22 kmYauco Municipio 25 kmSan Germán Municipio 26 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 26 kmPeñuelas Municipio 29 kmHormigueros Municipio 32 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
2:05 am AST on 29 August 2017 ()
Where
38 km (24 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 8 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3362 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 38 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: Yauco 20 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× 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.

Where

Epicentre 17.8851, -66.9620. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 5 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 4 km W of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 4 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 2 km SSW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 8 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 9 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 6 km SE of Espino, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 1 km WNW of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 2 km NNW of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 0 km NNW of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.6 7 km W of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.9 4 km WSW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 7 km SE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 10 km ESE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 3 km NW of Fuig, 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

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