QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Isabela, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Isabela in the 24 hours to 7:38 pm AST (23:38 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 31 km (19 mi) N, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Isabela

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 49 km (31 mi) north of Isabela, PR, at 3:30 pm AST on 12 February 2018 (19:30 UTC), 42 km deep.

USGS: 49 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico

3:30 pm AST, Feb 12, 2018 · · 42 km deep · released about 530 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Isabela Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Isabela Municipio 51 kmAguadilla Municipio 54 kmQuebradillas Municipio 54 kmCamuy Municipio 58 kmHatillo Municipio 60 kmMoca Municipio 64 kmAguada Municipio 66 kmArecibo Municipio 67 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 68 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
3:30 pm AST on 12 February 2018 ()
Where
49 km (31 mi) north of Isabela, PR · earthquakes near Isabela
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
42 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Isabela Municipio, 51 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3103 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 Isabela, 49 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 530 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 29,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 20,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 530 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 4.7 on 2017-07-17 — about 560 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 20 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 12 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 33 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 23 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 50 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 39 km SSW 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 18.9450, -67.0070. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Isabela Municipio, PR 51 km (32 mi) S earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Aguadilla Municipio, PR 54 km (33 mi) SSW earthquakes near Aguadilla Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 54 km (33 mi) S earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 58 km (36 mi) SSE earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 60 km (37 mi) SSE earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Moca Municipio, PR 64 km (39 mi) S earthquakes near Moca Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 45 km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.1 61 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.9 42 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 25 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.1 22 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 16 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 55 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 60 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 50 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 22 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 17 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.7 54 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 32 km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  15. 2.6 47 km N of Garrochales, 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.