Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.2md
Earthquake near Ponce, PR
No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 5:59 pm AST (21:59 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce
This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) south of Ponce, PR, at 7:24 pm AST on 28 February 2018 (23:24 UTC), 21 km deep.
USGS: 23 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
23 km (14 mi) S of Ponce, PR
- When
- 7:24 pm AST on 28 February 2018 ()
- Where
- 24 km (15 mi) south of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
- Magnitude
- M 2.2 (md)
- Depth
- 21 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- Ponce Municipio, 23 km N
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3178 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Ponce, PR
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This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Ponce, 24 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: Potala Pastillo, Tallaboa, Capitanejo, Aguilita, Playita Cortada, Santa Isabel.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 52 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 290,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.2 about 52 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 17.7973, -66.6028. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce Municipio, PR | 23 km (14 mi) | N | earthquakes near Ponce Municipio |
| Juana Díaz Municipio, PR | 25 km (16 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio |
| Santa Isabel Municipio, PR | 29 km (18 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio |
| Peñuelas Municipio, PR | 29 km (18 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio |
| Guayanilla Municipio, PR | 31 km (19 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio |
| Guánica Municipio, PR | 38 km (23 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Guánica Municipio |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
33 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.9 8 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
- 2.4 28 km SSW of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
- 2.4 2 km SSW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
- 2.4 7 km NW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
- 1.9 4 km SSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
- 2.3 17 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
- 3.2 13 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
- 1.7 13 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
- 1.9 14 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
- 2.4 1 km N of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
- 1.6 1 km SSW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
- 1.9 1 km SE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
- 2.1 8 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
- 2.1 7 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
- 1.9 0 km W of Sabana Grande, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.