QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Potala Pastillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Potala Pastillo in the 24 hours to 4:30 pm AST (20:30 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 9 km (5 mi) south of Potala Pastillo, PR, at 12:37 am AST on 30 April 2018 (04:37 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 8 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico

16 km (10 mi) SE of Ponce, PR

12:37 am AST, Apr 30, 2018 · · 15 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 9 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 13 kmPonce Municipio 15 kmVillalba Municipio 24 kmCoamo Municipio 26 kmSalinas Municipio 26 kmPeñuelas Municipio 27 kmGuayanilla Municipio 33 kmJayuya Municipio 34 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
12:37 am AST on 30 April 2018 ()
Where
9 km (5 mi) south of Potala Pastillo, PR · earthquakes near Potala Pastillo
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 9 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3118 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Potala Pastillo, 9 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Playita Cortada, Capitanejo, Santa Isabel, Aguilita, Las Ollas, Río Cañas Abajo.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 760,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 68× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 17.9146, -66.5016. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) N earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 5 km SSW of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 8 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 2 km NE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.6 4 km WNW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 13 km N of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 15 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.6 2 km WSW of Coamo, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 3 km NNW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 3 km N of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 Puerto Rico region
  11. 1.9 3 km NNE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 2 km W of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 8 km SSE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 2 km E of Aguilita, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 2 km E of Arroyo, 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.