QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Sabana Grande, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Sabana Grande in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 16 km (10 mi) SSE of Sabana Grande, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in Sabana Grande was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Sabana Grande

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Sabana Grande, PR, at 12:36 pm AST on 17 July 2018 (16:36 UTC), 21 km deep.

USGS: 6 km NNE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

37 km (23 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR · 22 km (14 mi) ESE of Mayagüez, PR

12:36 pm AST, Jul 17, 2018 · · 21 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sabana Grande Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Maricao Municipio 5 kmSabana Grande Municipio 5 kmSan Germán Municipio 10 kmYauco Municipio 11 kmLas Marías Municipio 11 kmHormigueros Municipio 18 kmLares Municipio 18 kmLajas Municipio 20 kmGuánica 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
12:36 pm AST on 17 July 2018 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north-northeast of Sabana Grande, PR · earthquakes near Sabana Grande
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Maricao Municipio, 5 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2961 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 Sabana Grande, 6 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, Liborio Negron Torres, Lluveras, San Germán, Yauco, Lajas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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 · 45 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 33 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 45 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 45 km W 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 18.1303, -66.9458. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Maricao Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) S earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) W earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 4 km WSW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 1 km SW of Espino, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 Puerto Rico region
  4. 1.8 6 km WSW of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 11 km WNW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 7 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.0 2 km S of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 3 km SE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 12 km W of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 2 km E of Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 14 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.3 3 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 4 km SSE of Lajas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 9 km W of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 2 km NNE of Mayagüez, 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.