QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the 24 hours to 12:12 pm AST (16:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) WNW, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Tallaboa

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) south of Tallaboa, PR, at 9:39 am AST on 19 February 2018 (13:39 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 14 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

19 km (12 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

9:39 am AST, Feb 19, 2018 · · 11 km deep · released about 32 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 17 kmPeñuelas Municipio 18 kmPonce Municipio 20 kmGuánica Municipio 22 kmYauco Municipio 28 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 30 kmSabana Grande Municipio 33 kmLajas Municipio 35 kmAdjuntas Municipio 35 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
9:39 am AST on 19 February 2018 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) south of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 17 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3187 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Tallaboa, 15 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: Indios, Magas Arriba, Guayanilla, Ponce, Maria Antonia, Tallaboa Alta.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 470,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 30× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 32 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 17.8651, -66.7350. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 8 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 8 km ESE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.7 6 km E of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 9 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 2 km SSW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 4 km NNW of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 7 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 6 km SW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 5 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 44 km S of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 18 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 11 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 18 km S of Tallaboa, 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.