QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Lares, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Lares in the 24 hours to 11:26 pm AST (03:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 39 km (24 mi) S, at 3:58 pm AST on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Lares

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southeast of Lares, PR, at 9:03 am AST on 1 September 2018 (13:03 UTC), 6.0 km deep.

USGS: 5 km ESE of Lares, Puerto Rico

83 km (51 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 23 km (15 mi) SSW of Arecibo, PR

9:03 am AST, Sep 1, 2018 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 25 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Lares Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lares Municipio 4 kmAdjuntas Municipio 12 kmUtuado Municipio 14 kmMaricao Municipio 15 kmLas Marías Municipio 16 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 16 kmHatillo Municipio 20 kmCamuy Municipio 20 kmYauco Municipio 20 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
9:03 am AST on 1 September 2018 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) southeast of Lares, PR · earthquakes near Lares
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lares Municipio, 4 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2993 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Lares, 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.

Likely felt in: Lares 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 43 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 29 km WNW 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 18.2660, -66.8320. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lares Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) SE earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Utuado Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SW earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WSW earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
San Sebastián Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near San Sebastián 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 11 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 3 km W of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 7 km WNW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 9 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 2 km SSW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 15 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.5 9 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 10 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 6 km N of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 6 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 9 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 7 km WSW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 10 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 7 km E of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 2 km SE of Aguadilla, 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.