QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Animas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Animas in the 24 hours to 1:34 pm AST (17:34 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 11 km (7 mi) N, at 2:05 am AST on 13 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Animas

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) north-northeast of Animas, PR, at 11:06 pm AST on 5 January 2018 (03:06 UTC), 9.0 km deep.

USGS: 8 km NNE of Animas, Puerto Rico

15 km (9 mi) ENE of Arecibo, PR · 59 km (37 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR

11:06 pm AST, Jan 5, 2018 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 22 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Animas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Barceloneta Municipio 7 kmArecibo Municipio 11 kmManatí Municipio 15 kmFlorida Municipio 17 kmHatillo Municipio 21 kmVega Baja Municipio 23 kmCiales Municipio 26 kmCamuy Municipio 28 kmUtuado Municipio 29 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
11:06 pm AST on 5 January 2018 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) north-northeast of Animas, PR · earthquakes near Animas
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Barceloneta Municipio, 7 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3203 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Animas, 8 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: Barceloneta 10 km, intensity II · Arecibo 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 22 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 680,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 480,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 43× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 22 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 7 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 28 km E 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 18.5145, -66.6108. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) SSE earthquakes near Florida Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) WSW earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 23 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 28 km NNW of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 4 km W of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 4 km E of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 7 km NNE of Garrochales, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 23 km NNW of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 7 km WSW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 5 km SSW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 18 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.1 14 km NNW of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 37 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.8 41 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.2 6 km ENE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 2 km SW of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 15 km N of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.0 4 km W of Ciales, 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.