QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near La Parguera, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in La Parguera in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 13 km (8 mi) ESE of La Parguera, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in La Parguera was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near La Parguera

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) west of La Parguera, PR, at 5:31 pm AST on 24 November 2017 (21:31 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 7 km W of La Parguera, Puerto Rico

25 km (15 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 121 km (75 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

5:31 pm AST, Nov 24, 2017 · · 13 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near La Parguera Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 7 kmLajas Municipio 8 kmSan Germán Municipio 16 kmHormigueros Municipio 17 kmGuánica Municipio 21 kmSabana Grande Municipio 21 kmMaricao Municipio 29 kmYauco Municipio 30 kmLas Marías Municipio 31 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
5:31 pm AST on 24 November 2017 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) west of La Parguera, PR · earthquakes near La Parguera
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 7 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3274 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 La Parguera, 7 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: Pole Ojea, Palmarejo, Boquerón, Lajas, Monte Grande, Sabana Eneas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.1 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.1 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 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 47 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 36 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 35 km NW 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 17.9793, -67.1141. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) E earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 9 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 5 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 5 km SW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 27 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 13 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 18 km SSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 12 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.0 23 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 20 km SSW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 Mona Passage
  12. 2.3 18 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 7 km WSW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 13 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 7 km W of Mayagüez, 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.