QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Hatillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Hatillo in the 24 hours to 12:59 pm AST (16:59 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 40 km (25 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Hatillo

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) north-northeast of Hatillo, PR, at 1:39 am AST on 23 December 2017 (05:39 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 15 km NNE of Hatillo, Puerto Rico

81 km (50 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 19 km (12 mi) NNW of Arecibo, PR

1:39 am AST, Dec 23, 2017 · · 13 km deep · released about 140 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Hatillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hatillo Municipio 20 kmCamuy Municipio 21 kmQuebradillas Municipio 22 kmArecibo Municipio 24 kmIsabela Municipio 27 kmBarceloneta Municipio 30 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 37 kmFlorida Municipio 37 kmManatí Municipio 37 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
1:39 am AST on 23 December 2017 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) north-northeast of Hatillo, PR · earthquakes near Hatillo
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hatillo Municipio, 20 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3245 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Hatillo, 15 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: Hatillo 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 140 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 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 78,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 140 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.0 on 2017-03-24 — about 220 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 12 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 46 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 42 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 47 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 48 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 46 km W 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 18.6200, -66.7970. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hatillo Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) S earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) SW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) WSW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) ESE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 59 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 9 km NW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 55 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 18 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 2 km WNW of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 10 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 8 km NNW of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 18 km NNW of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.2 40 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 6 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 13 km NE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.8 13 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 33 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 21 km NNW of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 48 km N of Carrizales, 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.