QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near San Juan, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Juan in the 24 hours to 12:57 pm AST (16:57 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 99 km (62 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near San Juan

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) north of San Juan, PR, at 10:37 pm AST on 20 April 2018 (02:37 UTC), 33 km deep.

USGS: 37 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico

45 km (28 mi) N of San Juan, PR

10:37 pm AST, Apr 20, 2018 · · 33 km deep · released about 420 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Toa Baja Municipio 40 kmDorado Municipio 40 kmCataño Municipio 41 kmSan Juan Municipio 43 kmLoíza Municipio 44 kmVega Alta Municipio 47 kmCarolina Municipio 48 kmVega Baja Municipio 49 kmToa Alta Municipio 51 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
10:37 pm AST on 20 April 2018 ()
Where
38 km (24 mi) north of San Juan, PR · earthquakes near San Juan
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
33 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Toa Baja Municipio, 40 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3040 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In San Juan, 38 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 420 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 36,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 26,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 420 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.8 on 2017-08-18 — about 1,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 64 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 46 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 66 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 40 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 42 km SW 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 18.8075, -66.1138. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 41 km (25 mi) S earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
San Juan Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) S earthquakes near San Juan Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 44 km (27 mi) SSE earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 47 km (30 mi) SSW earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 20 km NNW of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 46 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 1 km SE of Bayamón, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 4 km SE of Cataño, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 26 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 4 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 73 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 31 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.5 33 km NNW of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  11. 2.7 67 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 68 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 4 km NNE of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 56 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 66 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, 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.