QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Pole Ojea, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Pole Ojea in the 24 hours to 12:50 pm AST (16:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 8 km (5 mi) ENE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Pole Ojea

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) south of Pole Ojea, PR, at 10:00 pm AST on 20 May 2018 (02:00 UTC), 7.0 km deep.

USGS: 11 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico

37 km (23 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 131 km (81 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

10:00 pm AST, May 20, 2018 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 36 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Pole Ojea Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 14 kmLajas Municipio 18 kmGuánica Municipio 27 kmSan Germán Municipio 30 kmHormigueros Municipio 30 kmSabana Grande Municipio 33 kmYauco Municipio 40 kmGuayanilla Municipio 42 kmMaricao Municipio 42 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
10:00 pm AST on 20 May 2018 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) south of Pole Ojea, PR · earthquakes near Pole Ojea
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 14 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3096 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Pole Ojea, 12 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.

Likely felt in: Pole Ojea 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 40 km NNW 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 17.8686, -67.1640. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 33 km (21 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

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

  1. 1.8 4 km SSE of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 4 km SE of Espino, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 14 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 3 km NE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 5 km SW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 6 km SW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 3 km NE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 1 km SSE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 20 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 19 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 3 km N of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 1 km NNE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 1 km NE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 26 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 26 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.