QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Potala Pastillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Potala Pastillo in the 24 hours to 10:54 am AST (14:54 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 10:09 am AST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) south of Potala Pastillo, PR, at 3:37 am AST on 3 April 2018 (07:37 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 13 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico

19 km (12 mi) SE of Ponce, PR

3:37 am AST, Apr 3, 2018 · · 18 km deep · released about 2,000 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 15 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 16 kmPonce Municipio 19 kmSalinas Municipio 28 kmPeñuelas Municipio 30 kmVillalba Municipio 30 kmCoamo Municipio 31 kmGuayanilla Municipio 35 kmAibonito Municipio 39 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
3:37 am AST on 3 April 2018 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) south of Potala Pastillo, PR · earthquakes near Potala Pastillo
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 15 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3057 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 43 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Potala Pastillo, 14 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: Santa Isabel 15 km, intensity II · Río Cañas Abajo 20 km, intensity II · Ponce 20 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 26 km, intensity II · Coamo 29 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 29 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 33 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 35 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2,000 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 6.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,700× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 2,000 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.1× 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 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 17.8656, -66.5060. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 19 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 28 km (18 mi) ENE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 30 km (18 mi) NW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 30 km (18 mi) N earthquakes near Villalba 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. 2.0 4 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 3 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 5 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 8 km WSW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 4 km SW of Comerío, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 Puerto Rico region
  7. 1.9 4 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 5 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 5 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 4 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 4 km SW of Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 1 km S of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 2 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 4 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 5 km SSW of Capitanejo, 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.