QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Lluveras, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Lluveras in the 24 hours to 11:30 am AST (15:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 12 km (7 mi) E, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Lluveras

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) north-northwest of Lluveras, PR, at 9:03 am AST on 18 March 2018 (13:03 UTC), 8.0 km deep.

USGS: 4 km NNW of Lluveras, Puerto Rico

32 km (20 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR · 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Mayagüez, PR

9:03 am AST, Mar 18, 2018 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sabana Grande Municipio 3 kmYauco Municipio 7 kmMaricao Municipio 11 kmSan Germán Municipio 13 kmGuánica Municipio 14 kmGuayanilla Municipio 15 kmLajas Municipio 17 kmLas Marías Municipio 18 kmAdjuntas Municipio 21 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
9:03 am AST on 18 March 2018 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) north-northwest of Lluveras, PR · earthquakes near Lluveras
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Sabana Grande Municipio, 3 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3160 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 Lluveras, 4 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.

Likely felt in: Yauco 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 730,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 520,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 46× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW 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 18.0743, -66.9185. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) E earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) N earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) S earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 3 km ENE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 4 km ESE of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 4 km SW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 4 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 3 km E of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 6 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 3 km ENE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 1 km SSE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 2 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 3 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 3 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 5 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 3 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 1 km NNW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 8 km SSE of Indios, 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.