QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Vega Baja, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Vega Baja in the 24 hours to 10:48 am AST (14:48 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 81 km (51 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Vega Baja

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Vega Baja, PR, at 4:40 pm AST on 2 February 2018 (20:40 UTC), 80 km deep.

USGS: 2 km WNW of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

37 km (23 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 27 km (17 mi) WNW of Bayamón, PR

4:40 pm AST, Feb 2, 2018 · · 80 km deep · released about 650 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Vega Baja Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vega Baja Municipio 1 kmVega Alta Municipio 8 kmManatí Municipio 9 kmMorovis Municipio 15 kmBarceloneta Municipio 16 kmDorado Municipio 16 kmFlorida Municipio 19 kmCorozal Municipio 19 kmToa Alta Municipio 20 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
4:40 pm AST on 2 February 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Vega Baja, PR · earthquakes near Vega Baja
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
80 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Vega Baja Municipio, 1 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3123 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Vega Baja, 3 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Coto Norte, Sabana, Monserrate, Ceiba, Brenas, Miranda.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 650 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 23,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 650 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 20 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 36 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 9 km NE 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 18.4531, -66.4113. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 1 km (1 mi) E earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) ESE earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) W earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) S earthquakes near Morovis Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) W earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) E earthquakes near Dorado 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. 2.3 33 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 17 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.8 25 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.1 22 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 3 km N of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 22 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 17 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 45 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 4 km NW of Bairoa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 9 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 6 km NW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 1 km N of Bayamón, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 8 km ESE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 Puerto Rico region

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.