QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Barahona, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Barahona in the 24 hours to 1:44 pm AST (17:44 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 70 km (43 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Barahona

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) northwest of Barahona, PR, at 3:07 pm AST on 30 April 2018 (19:07 UTC), 9.0 km deep.

USGS: 3 km NW of Barahona, Puerto Rico

42 km (26 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 30 km (19 mi) ESE of Arecibo, PR

3:07 pm AST, Apr 30, 2018 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 140 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Barahona Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Morovis Municipio 8 kmManatí Municipio 8 kmCiales Municipio 10 kmFlorida Municipio 10 kmVega Baja Municipio 11 kmBarceloneta Municipio 14 kmVega Alta Municipio 15 kmCorozal Municipio 17 kmOrocovis Municipio 18 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
3:07 pm AST on 30 April 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) northwest of Barahona, PR · earthquakes near Barahona
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Morovis Municipio, 8 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3117 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Barahona, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Ciales 4 km, intensity II · Vega Baja 11 km, intensity II · Barceloneta 11 km, intensity II · Corozal 16 km, intensity II · San Antonio 19 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 140 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 75,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 140 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 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 23 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 37 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 19 km NE 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 18.3755, -66.4650. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Morovis Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near Morovis Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) SSW earthquakes near Ciales Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Florida Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 9 km N of Levittown, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 12 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 19 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 13 km N of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.6 2 km WSW of Coamo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 27 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.8 3 km NNW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 3 km N of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 3 km N of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 18 km NNE of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 3 km NNE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 2 km W of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 2 km E of Aguilita, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 27 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 4 km N of Los Llanos, 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.