QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Boquerón, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Boquerón in the 24 hours to 5:28 pm AST (21:28 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) ESE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Boquerón

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Boquerón, PR, at 12:43 am AST on 18 January 2018 (04:43 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 5 km W of Boquerón, Puerto Rico

21 km (13 mi) SSW of Mayagüez, PR · 129 km (80 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

12:43 am AST, Jan 18, 2018 · · 10 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Boquerón Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 5 kmHormigueros Municipio 16 kmLajas Municipio 20 kmSan Germán Municipio 21 kmSabana Grande Municipio 29 kmAñasco Municipio 30 kmGuánica Municipio 33 kmLas Marías Municipio 34 kmMaricao Municipio 34 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
12:43 am AST on 18 January 2018 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Boquerón, PR · earthquakes near Boquerón
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 5 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3220 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Boquerón, 5 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: Puerto Real 6 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 37 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 26× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 37 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 · 46 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 24 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 23 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 18.0261, -67.2193. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) SE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 29 km (18 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 22 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 23 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 15 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 34 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 4 km NW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 13 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 12 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 6 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.0 4 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 6 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 5 km NNW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 5 km N of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 20 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 7 km WSW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 16 km SSW of Pole Ojea, 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.