QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7md

Earthquake near Isabela, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Isabela in the 24 hours to 2:55 am AST (06:55 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 31 km (19 mi) N, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Isabela

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) north-northeast of Isabela, PR, at 5:07 am AST on 30 August 2018 (09:07 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 10 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico

100 km (62 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 31 km (19 mi) WNW of Arecibo, PR

5:07 am AST, Aug 30, 2018 · · 13 km deep · released about 310 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Isabela Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Isabela Municipio 12 kmQuebradillas Municipio 15 kmAguadilla Municipio 20 kmCamuy Municipio 21 kmMoca Municipio 25 kmHatillo Municipio 26 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 29 kmAguada Municipio 32 kmAñasco Municipio 37 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
5:07 am AST on 30 August 2018 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) north-northeast of Isabela, PR · earthquakes near Isabela
Magnitude
M 2.7 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Isabela Municipio, 12 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2996 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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Isabela, 11 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: Isabela 11 km, intensity II · Quebradillas 14 km, intensity II · Rafael Hernandez 16 km, intensity II · Hatillo 21 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 310 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 50,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 35,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.1× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 310 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 4.3 on 2017-10-14 — about 280 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 38 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 24 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 32 km NW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 42 km W of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 29 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 26 km W 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 18.5891, -66.9885. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Isabela Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SSE earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Aguadilla Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) SW earthquakes near Aguadilla Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SE earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Moca Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) SSW earthquakes near Moca Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 42 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 10 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.6 23 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 3 km NE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 3 km SSE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 5 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 36 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 35 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.5 42 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 2 km S of Añasco, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 55 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 3 km SW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 2 km S of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 45 km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 7 km WNW of Mayagüez, 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.