QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Jayuya, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Jayuya in the 24 hours to 11:30 am AST (15:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 43 km (27 mi) SSE, at 8:40 am AST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Jayuya

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) east-northeast of Jayuya, PR, at 6:35 pm AST on 16 February 2018 (22:35 UTC), 127 km deep.

USGS: 6 km ENE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico

54 km (33 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 29 km (18 mi) NNE of Ponce, PR

6:35 pm AST, Feb 16, 2018 · · 127 km deep · released about 1,700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Jayuya Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jayuya Municipio 6 kmCiales Municipio 6 kmOrocovis Municipio 12 kmFlorida Municipio 14 kmVillalba Municipio 15 kmMorovis Municipio 15 kmUtuado Municipio 17 kmManatí Municipio 23 kmCorozal Municipio 24 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
6:35 pm AST on 16 February 2018 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) east-northeast of Jayuya, PR · earthquakes near Jayuya
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
127 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Jayuya Municipio, 6 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3102 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 Jayuya, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Ciales, Florida, Estancias de Florida, Villalba, Barahona, Franquez.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 9,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,500× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,700 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.7× more

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 · 35 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 43 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 35 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 18.2465, -66.5425. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jayuya Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) SW earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NNE earthquakes near Ciales Municipio
Orocovis Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Orocovis Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Florida Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SSE earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near Morovis 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. 2.5 9 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 6 km NW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 1 km N of Bayamón, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.4 8 km ESE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 2 km SSW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  8. 1.9 4 km NNW of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 1 km N of Ingenio, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.3 1 km SE of Sumidero, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 19 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 5 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.6 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 11 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 9 km ESE of Maricao, 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.