QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near Yauco, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Yauco in the 24 hours to 1:36 pm AST (17:36 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) ESE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yauco

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) north-northwest of Yauco, PR, at 4:14 pm AST on 8 April 2018 (20:14 UTC), 8.0 km deep.

USGS: 5 km NNW of Yauco, Puerto Rico

28 km (17 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR

4:14 pm AST, Apr 8, 2018 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yauco Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Yauco Municipio 2 kmSabana Grande Municipio 8 kmGuayanilla Municipio 11 kmMaricao Municipio 13 kmGuánica Municipio 15 kmPeñuelas Municipio 16 kmAdjuntas Municipio 17 kmSan Germán Municipio 18 kmLas Marías Municipio 20 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
4:14 pm AST on 8 April 2018 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) north-northwest of Yauco, PR · earthquakes near Yauco
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Yauco Municipio, 2 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3139 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 6 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Yauco, 5 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 5 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 41 km NNW 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 18.0776, -66.8745. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Yauco Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) ENE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) W earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNW earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 13 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.8 12 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 17 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 22 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 19 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 2 km N of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 10 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 8 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 8 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  11. 2.1 10 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.8 8 km SSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 4 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 7 km SW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 3 km ESE 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.