QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near Bayamón, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Bayamón in the 24 hours to 12:50 pm AST (16:50 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 3.0 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) south-southeast of Bayamón, PR, at 8:04 pm AST on 14 August 2018 (00:04 UTC), 9.0 km deep. 37 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km ESE of Bayamon, Puerto Rico

8 km (5 mi) SSW of Caguas, PR

8:04 pm AST, Aug 14, 2018 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 830 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bayamón Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Caguas Municipio 5 kmCidra Municipio 9 kmSan Lorenzo Municipio 11 kmCayey Municipio 11 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 11 kmGurabo Municipio 15 kmComerío Municipio 17 kmJuncos Municipio 18 kmTrujillo Alto 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
8:04 pm AST on 14 August 2018 ()
Where
27 km (17 mi) south-southeast of Bayamón, PR · earthquakes near Bayamón
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
37 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Caguas Municipio, 5 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2937 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 34 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In Bayamón, 27 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: Caguas 8 km, intensity III · Sumidero 8 km, intensity III · Jagual 8 km, intensity III · Cayey 12 km, intensity III · Guayama 21 km, intensity II · Guaynabo 21 km, intensity II · Trujillo Alto 22 km, intensity II · Humacao 26 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 830 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 18,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 13,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 830 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2016-12-05 — about 290 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 12 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 46 km NW 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 18.1695, -66.0735. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Caguas Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNE earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
San Lorenzo Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Lorenzo Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Aguas Buenas Municipio
Gurabo Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NE earthquakes near Gurabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 2 km SE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 4 km WNW of Yaurel, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 2 km E of Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 5 km ESE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 3 km SSW of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 2 km SW of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 3 km NW of Guayabal, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 2 km SSW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  10. 1.7 7 km SE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 12 km S of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 18 km SE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 1 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 21 km SE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 6 km NW of Yaurel, 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.