QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Bayamón, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Bayamón in the 24 hours to 4:19 pm AST (20:19 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 98 km (61 mi) WSW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Bayamón

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) east-northeast of Bayamón, PR, at 4:37 am AST on 21 July 2018 (08:37 UTC), 118 km deep.

USGS: 3 km ENE of Bayamón, Puerto Rico

7 km (4 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 5 km (3 mi) NE of Bayamón, PR

4:37 am AST, Jul 21, 2018 · · 118 km deep · released about 82 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bayamón Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cataño Municipio 4 kmSan Juan Municipio 6 kmGuaynabo Municipio 7 kmBayamón Municipio 8 kmToa Baja Municipio 9 kmToa Alta Municipio 13 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 15 kmDorado Municipio 16 kmCarolina Municipio 17 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
4:37 am AST on 21 July 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) east-northeast of Bayamón, PR · earthquakes near Bayamón
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
118 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cataño Municipio, 4 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3035 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 Bayamón, 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: Cataño, Guaynabo, Sabana Seca, San Juan, Eleanor Roosevelt, Levittown.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 82 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 82 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 17 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 25 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 18.4100, -66.1270. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cataño Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
San Juan Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Juan Municipio
Guaynabo Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Guaynabo Municipio
Bayamón Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SSW earthquakes near Bayamón Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) WSW earthquakes near Toa Alta 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. 2.8 40 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 8 km NNE of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 4 km NNE of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 1 km N of Las Ochenta, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 5 km ESE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 5 km ESE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 3 km ESE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 17 km NNE of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 6 km NW of Sabana, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 2 km SSE of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 3 km WSW of Sumidero, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.5 3 km W of Palo Seco, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 8 km NNE of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  15. 2.4 18 km NNW of Brenas, 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.