QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 5:49 pm AST (21:49 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 4:51 am AST on 21 August 2018 (08:51 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 4 km WSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico

in Ponce, PR

4:51 am AST, Aug 21, 2018 · · 11 km deep · released about 35 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ponce Municipio 6 kmPeñuelas Municipio 8 kmGuayanilla Municipio 15 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 18 kmAdjuntas Municipio 23 kmYauco Municipio 23 kmVillalba Municipio 25 kmJayuya Municipio 25 kmGuánica Municipio 28 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
4:51 am AST on 21 August 2018 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ponce Municipio, 6 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3004 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 4 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: Ponce 4 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 6 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 7 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 35 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 5.8 440,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 28× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 35 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 18.0003, -66.6610. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ponce Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) E earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) W earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) E earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) WNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 9 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 2 km SSW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 11 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 15 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.5 9 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.7 10 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 6 km N of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 7 km E of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 5 km SW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 6 km SE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 21 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 0 km SW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 3 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 1 km E of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 1 km SE of Palmarejo, 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.