QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Palmarejo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Palmarejo in the 24 hours to 7:53 pm AST (23:53 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) SW, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Palmarejo

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) west of Palmarejo, PR, at 4:58 am AST on 19 November 2017 (08:58 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 4 km W of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico

18 km (11 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 118 km (74 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

4:58 am AST, Nov 19, 2017 · · 18 km deep · released about 28 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Palmarejo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 8 kmHormigueros Municipio 10 kmLajas Municipio 11 kmSan Germán Municipio 11 kmSabana Grande Municipio 19 kmGuánica Municipio 23 kmMaricao Municipio 24 kmLas Marías Municipio 25 kmAñasco Municipio 27 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
4:58 am AST on 19 November 2017 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) west of Palmarejo, PR · earthquakes near Palmarejo
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 8 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3280 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 Palmarejo, 4 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: Monte Grande, Cabo Rojo, Boquerón, Sabana Eneas, Lajas, Puerto Real.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 28 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 540,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 34× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 28 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 45 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 40 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 31 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 30 km WNW 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 18.0436, -67.1190. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) N earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 12 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 23 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 20 km SSW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 Mona Passage
  5. 2.3 18 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 7 km WSW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 13 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 7 km W of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.5 0 km NNE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 6 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 6 km W of Stella, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 2 km ESE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 24 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 Mona Passage
  15. 1.8 4 km NE of La Parguera, 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.