QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Sabana Seca, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Sabana Seca in the 24 hours to 2:38 am AST (06:38 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 97 km (60 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Sabana Seca

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded in Sabana Seca, PR, at 12:20 pm AST on 7 August 2018 (16:20 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 1 km NE of Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico

6 km (4 mi) NNW of Bayamón, PR

12:20 pm AST, Aug 7, 2018 · · 10 km deep · released about 31 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sabana Seca Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Toa Baja Municipio 3 kmCataño Municipio 3 kmBayamón Municipio 9 kmDorado Municipio 10 kmToa Alta Municipio 10 kmSan Juan Municipio 11 kmGuaynabo Municipio 12 kmVega Alta Municipio 17 kmNaranjito Municipio 18 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
12:20 pm AST on 7 August 2018 ()
Where
in Sabana Seca, PR · earthquakes near Sabana Seca
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Toa Baja Municipio, 3 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3019 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Levittown in town, intensity II · Bayamón 4 km, intensity II · Cataño 6 km, intensity II · San Juan 8 km, intensity II · Dorado 10 km, intensity II · Guaynabo 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 31 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 480,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 340,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 31× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 31 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 · 43 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 20 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 19 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 18.4328, -66.1771. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) NNW earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) ENE earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
Bayamón Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Bayamón Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) WNW earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) SW earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
San Juan Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near San Juan Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 40 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  3. 1.7 7 km SE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.6 17 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 6 km NW of Yaurel, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 4 km NNE of Bairoa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 26 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 2 km SSE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 40 km N of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 8 km NNE of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 4 km NNE of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 5 km ESE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 33 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 17 km NNW of Garrochales, 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.