QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Isabel Segunda, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Isabel Segunda in the 24 hours to 5:47 pm AST (21:47 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 26 km (16 mi) SSE, at 12:08 pm AST on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Isabel Segunda

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) south of Isabel Segunda, PR, at 2:42 am AST on 22 August 2018 (06:42 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 33 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico

92 km (57 mi) SE of San Juan, PR

2:42 am AST, Aug 22, 2018 · · 15 km deep · released about 31 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vieques Municipio 37 kmMaunabo Municipio 50 kmHumacao Municipio 50 kmYabucoa Municipio 50 kmCeiba Municipio 53 kmNaguabo Municipio 53 kmPatillas Municipio 58 kmLas Piedras Municipio 60 kmCulebra Municipio 62 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
2:42 am AST on 22 August 2018 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) south of Isabel Segunda, PR · earthquakes near Isabel Segunda
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Vieques Municipio, 37 km N
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 6 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Isabel Segunda, 39 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.

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2016-12-05 — about 7,700 times the energy of this one.

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 17.7975, -65.4786. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vieques Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) N earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Maunabo Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) WNW earthquakes near Maunabo Municipio
Humacao Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) NW earthquakes near Humacao Municipio
Yabucoa Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) NW earthquakes near Yabucoa Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 53 km (33 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 53 km (33 mi) NNW earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 26 km SE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 30 km SE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.6 17 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 10 km S of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.0 12 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.5 26 km SSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 15 km SE of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 21 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 36 km SSE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 29 km SSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 22 km SSE of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 11 km S of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 23 km S of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 9 km SSW of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 24 km SE of Emajagua, 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.