QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Cabo Rojo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Cabo Rojo in the 24 hours to 12:12 pm AST (16:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (6 mi) SSE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) south-southwest of Cabo Rojo, PR, at 5:54 am AST on 10 May 2018 (09:54 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 34 km SW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico

86 km (53 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR · 59 km (36 mi) SSW of Mayagüez, PR

5:54 am AST, May 10, 2018 · · 14 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 37 kmLajas Municipio 46 kmHormigueros Municipio 53 kmGuánica Municipio 54 kmSan Germán Municipio 56 kmSabana Grande Municipio 61 kmMayagüez Municipio 67 kmAñasco Municipio 68 kmYauco Municipio 68 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
5:54 am AST on 10 May 2018 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) south-southwest of Cabo Rojo, PR · earthquakes near Cabo Rojo
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 37 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3107 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Cabo Rojo, 47 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 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 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. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 50 km N 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 17.7256, -67.3785. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) NE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 46 km (28 mi) NE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 53 km (33 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 54 km (34 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 56 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 61 km (38 mi) NE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 11 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 4 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 2 km S of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 22 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 4 km SSE of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 26 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 26 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 7 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 28 km SW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 17 km WSW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 11 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 2 km SSW of Sabana Eneas, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 11 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 11 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 18 km W of Puerto Real, 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.