QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Mayagüez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Mayagüez in the 24 hours to 10:55 pm AST (02:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) SSE, at 3:17 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mayagüez

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 2 km (2 mi) southwest of Mayagüez, PR, at 7:21 am AST on 17 October 2018 (11:21 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

in Mayagüez, PR · 118 km (73 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

7:21 am AST, Oct 17, 2018 · · 11 km deep · released about 32 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mayagüez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hormigueros Municipio 7 kmAñasco Municipio 12 kmSan Germán Municipio 15 kmLas Marías Municipio 19 kmRincón Municipio 20 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 21 kmAguada Municipio 21 kmMoca Municipio 23 kmMaricao Municipio 23 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
7:21 am AST on 17 October 2018 ()
Where
2 km (2 mi) southwest of Mayagüez, PR · earthquakes near Mayagüez
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hormigueros Municipio, 7 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2948 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Mayagüez, 2 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: Mayagüez 2 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 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 5.8 470,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 30× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 32 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 2,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 29 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 42 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 26 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 23 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 23 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 18.1848, -67.1553. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) SE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NNE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Rincón Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NNW earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 9 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 4 km NW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 1 km SW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 4 km NNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 6 km E of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.0 9 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 20 km SSE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 5 km N of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 6 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.2 11 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 1 km WSW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 5 km SW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 1 km WSW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 1 km SSW of Lluveras, 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.