QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 4:11 pm AST (20:11 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 4:48 am AST on 13 December 2017 (08:48 UTC), 4.0 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

39 km (24 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

4:48 am AST, Dec 13, 2017 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 8.1 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 13 kmLajas Municipio 19 kmGuayanilla Municipio 25 kmSabana Grande Municipio 28 kmYauco Municipio 30 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 31 kmPeñuelas Municipio 32 kmSan Germán Municipio 32 kmHormigueros Municipio 38 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
4:48 am AST on 13 December 2017 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 13 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3255 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 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 40 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: Guánica, Maria Antonia, Fuig, La Parguera, Palomas, Indios.

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.

Where

Epicentre 17.8301, -66.9501. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 28 km (18 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) NW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 20 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 5 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 8 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 5 km SSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 5 km NE of San Germán, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 19 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 0 km WSW of Lajas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 3 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 3 km SW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.7 25 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 33 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 5 km NE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 4 km SW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 2 km SSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 5 km E of Hormigueros, 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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