QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Cabo Rojo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Cabo Rojo in the 24 hours to 12:53 pm AST (16:53 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south-southeast of Cabo Rojo, PR, at 4:35 am AST on 15 June 2018 (08:35 UTC), 9.0 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SSE of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

16 km (10 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 119 km (74 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

4:35 am AST, Jun 15, 2018 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 9 kmHormigueros Municipio 9 kmSan Germán Municipio 11 kmLajas Municipio 13 kmSabana Grande Municipio 19 kmMaricao Municipio 24 kmGuánica Municipio 25 kmLas Marías Municipio 25 kmAñasco Municipio 26 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
4:35 am AST on 15 June 2018 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south-southeast of Cabo Rojo, PR · earthquakes near Cabo Rojo
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 9 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3071 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Cabo Rojo, 4 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: Puerto Real 7 km, intensity II · San Germán 9 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 44 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 39 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 30 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 29 km WNW 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 18.0546, -67.1275. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) SW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) N earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) E earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) ENE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 33 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 1 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.5 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 22 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 15 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 11 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 2 km W of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 5 km NW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 2 km NNE of Monte Grande, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 11 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 6 km SE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 6 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.9 3 km NE of Sabana Eneas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 25 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 Mona Passage

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.