QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Culebra, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Culebra in the last 24 hours. M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) ENE of Culebra, at 6:51 am AST on 11 November 2026 (10:51 UTC); the estimated shaking in Culebra was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Culebra

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) southeast of Culebra, PR, at 3:25 pm AST on 22 May 2018 (19:25 UTC), 25 km deep.

USGS: 8 km SE of Culebra, Puerto Rico

88 km (55 mi) ESE of San Juan, PR

3:25 pm AST, May 22, 2018 · · 25 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Culebra Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Culebra Municipio 11 kmVieques Municipio 23 kmFajardo Municipio 39 kmCeiba Municipio 39 kmLuquillo Municipio 50 kmNaguabo Municipio 51 kmHumacao Municipio 58 kmRío Grande Municipio 60 kmLas Piedras Municipio 66 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
3:25 pm AST on 22 May 2018 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) southeast of Culebra, PR · earthquakes near Culebra
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Culebra Municipio, 11 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3004 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Culebra, 8 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: Culebra 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 18.2448, -65.2496. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Culebra Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Vieques Municipio, PR 23 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) W earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 51 km (32 mi) W earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 9 km ENE of Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 11 km WNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  3. 2.2 26 km S of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  4. 2.3 18 km SSW of Cruz Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
  5. 2.5 35 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  6. 2.8 39 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  7. 2.6 14 km SW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 17 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. 1.9 17 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 41 km ESE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.2 19 km NW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  12. 2.5 28 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 39 km ESE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.2 36 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  15. 2.8 26 km S of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands

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.