QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Las Ollas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Las Ollas in the 24 hours to 7:30 pm AST (23:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 8 km (5 mi) ENE, at 5:05 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Las Ollas

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north of Las Ollas, PR, at 9:18 pm AST on 21 June 2018 (01:18 UTC), 51 km deep.

USGS: 0 km NNE of Las Ollas, Puerto Rico

22 km (14 mi) E of Ponce, PR

9:18 pm AST, Jun 21, 2018 · · 51 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Las Ollas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 9 kmCoamo Municipio 10 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 10 kmVillalba Municipio 12 kmSalinas Municipio 18 kmAibonito Municipio 20 kmPonce Municipio 20 kmOrocovis Municipio 20 kmBarranquitas Municipio 22 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
9:18 pm AST on 21 June 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north of Las Ollas, PR · earthquakes near Las Ollas
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
51 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 9 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3065 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Las Ollas, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Los Llanos, Río Cañas Abajo, El Ojo, Playita Cortada, Santa Isabel, Coamo.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 39 km NE 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 18.0375, -66.4216. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) WSW earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) NE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) SSE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) ESE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 9 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 2 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 19 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 16 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 21 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 0 km SW of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.8 4 km S of Caguas, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.6 2 km ENE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 4 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 2 km WNW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 4 km NNE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 11 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 10 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 4 km NNE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 19 km S 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.