QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Santa Isabel, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Isabel in the 24 hours to 8:40 pm AST (00:40 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 9 km (6 mi) NE, at 5:05 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Santa Isabel

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) south of Santa Isabel, PR, at 9:35 am AST on 15 March 2018 (13:35 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 44 km S of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico

50 km (31 mi) SSE of Ponce, PR · 103 km (64 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR

9:35 am AST, Mar 15, 2018 · · 10 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Santa Isabel Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Isabel Municipio 44 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 48 kmPonce Municipio 50 kmSalinas Municipio 51 kmPeñuelas Municipio 57 kmGuayama Municipio 58 kmGuayanilla Municipio 59 kmCoamo Municipio 61 kmVillalba Municipio 63 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
9:35 am AST on 15 March 2018 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) south of Santa Isabel, PR · earthquakes near Santa Isabel
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Santa Isabel Municipio, 44 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3163 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Santa Isabel, 45 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 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 95,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 68,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 17.5683, -66.4836. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 44 km (27 mi) NNE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 48 km (30 mi) N earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 51 km (31 mi) NNE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 57 km (36 mi) NNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 58 km (36 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayama Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 13 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 22 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 8 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 8 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 13 km S of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 4 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 3 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 5 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 Puerto Rico region
  10. 1.9 4 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 5 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 5 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.9 4 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 1 km S of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 2 km SE of Ponce, 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.