QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Boquerón, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Boquerón in the 24 hours to 5:44 am AST (09:44 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) ESE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Boquerón

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded in Boquerón, PR, at 3:16 am AST on 22 August 2018 (07:16 UTC), 31 km deep.

USGS: 0 km SSW of Boquerón, Puerto Rico

20 km (13 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 124 km (77 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

3:16 am AST, Aug 22, 2018 · · 31 km deep · released about 22 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Boquerón Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 3 kmHormigueros Municipio 14 kmLajas Municipio 15 kmSan Germán Municipio 17 kmSabana Grande Municipio 25 kmGuánica Municipio 27 kmAñasco Municipio 30 kmMaricao Municipio 30 kmLas Marías Municipio 31 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
3:16 am AST on 22 August 2018 ()
Where
in Boquerón, PR · earthquakes near Boquerón
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
31 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 3 km SSW
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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. 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: Pole Ojea, Puerto Real, Cabo Rojo, Monte Grande, Palmarejo, Sabana Eneas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 22 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 680,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 480,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 43× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 22 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 47 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 28 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 27 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 18.0205, -67.1706. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) SSW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 9 km WNW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 5 km SW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 6 km SE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 4 km NNW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 21 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 2 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 0 km SW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 3 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 1 km SW of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 5 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km E of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 10 km SW of La Playa, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 1 km SE of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 3 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 11 km SSE of Lares, 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.