QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Playita Cortada, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Playita Cortada in the 24 hours to 4:38 pm AST (20:38 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 11 km (7 mi) ENE, at 5:05 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Playita Cortada

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 6 km (3 mi) southwest of Playita Cortada, PR, at 7:10 pm AST on 26 August 2018 (23:10 UTC), 24 km deep.

USGS: 5 km SW of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico

17 km (11 mi) ESE of Ponce, PR

7:10 pm AST, Aug 26, 2018 · · 24 km deep · released about 25 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Playita Cortada Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 6 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 9 kmPonce Municipio 15 kmVillalba Municipio 21 kmCoamo Municipio 21 kmSalinas Municipio 22 kmPeñuelas Municipio 28 kmAibonito Municipio 30 kmOrocovis 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
7:10 pm AST on 26 August 2018 ()
Where
6 km (3 mi) southwest of Playita Cortada, PR · earthquakes near Playita Cortada
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
24 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 6 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2999 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. In Playita Cortada, 6 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Potala Pastillo, Santa Isabel, Las Ollas, Capitanejo, Río Cañas Abajo, El Ojo.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 25 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 5.8 620,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 440,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 39× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 25 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 50 km NE 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 17.9461, -66.4726. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NNW earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) E earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) N earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) E earthquakes near Salinas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 4 km SW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 4 km SW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 8 km NW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 4 km NNE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 1 km N of Las Ochenta, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 5 km ESE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.0 0 km NW of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.2 1 km ESE of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 1 km SSE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 3 km ESE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 5 km SW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 2 km SSE of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 17 km SSE of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 9 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 3 km WSW of Sumidero, 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.