QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near La Parguera, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in La Parguera in the 24 hours to 12:19 pm AST (16:19 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) WNW, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near La Parguera

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) southeast of La Parguera, PR, at 5:16 am AST on 29 January 2018 (09:16 UTC), 9.0 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico

43 km (26 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 31 km (19 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR

5:16 am AST, Jan 29, 2018 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 64 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near La Parguera Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lajas Municipio 4 kmGuánica Municipio 10 kmSabana Grande Municipio 17 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 18 kmSan Germán Municipio 18 kmHormigueros Municipio 23 kmYauco Municipio 23 kmGuayanilla Municipio 25 kmMaricao Municipio 27 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
5:16 am AST on 29 January 2018 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) southeast of La Parguera, PR · earthquakes near La Parguera
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lajas Municipio, 4 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3208 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In La Parguera, 4 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: San Germán 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 64 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 230,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 15× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 64 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. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 46 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 45 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 17.9461, -67.0221. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lajas Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 10 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 16 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 25 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 9 km NNE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 6 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 1 km WSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 16 km SSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 3 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 16 km SSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 10 km SSW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 13 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 4 km ESE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 28 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 24 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.2 5 km SSW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 27 km W of Puerto Real, 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.