QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Mayagüez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Mayagüez in the 24 hours to 12:55 pm AST (16:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) SSE, at 3:17 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mayagüez

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 17 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Mayagüez, PR, at 10:15 pm AST on 15 May 2018 (02:15 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

17 km (11 mi) ESE of Mayagüez, PR · 101 km (63 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

10:15 pm AST, May 15, 2018 · · 12 km deep · released about 22 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mayagüez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Maricao Municipio 6 kmSan Germán Municipio 7 kmLas Marías Municipio 8 kmSabana Grande Municipio 9 kmHormigueros Municipio 14 kmYauco Municipio 16 kmLares Municipio 18 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 20 kmLajas 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
10:15 pm AST on 15 May 2018 ()
Where
17 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Mayagüez, PR · earthquakes near Mayagüez
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Maricao Municipio, 6 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3102 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Mayagüez, 17 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: Maricao, Sabana Grande, San Germán, Sabana Eneas, Liborio Negron Torres, Lajas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 22 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 680,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 480,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 43× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 22 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.

Where

Epicentre 18.1546, -66.9873. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Maricao Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) ENE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) SW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) N earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) W earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.9 9 km NW of Caban, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 6 km WNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 17 km WSW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.7 11 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 5 km NNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.6 2 km SSW of Sabana Eneas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 3 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 8 km NW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.7 21 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 2 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 11 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 4 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 4 km NE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 3 km WSW of Tallaboa, 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.