QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7md

Earthquake near Pájaros, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Pájaros in the 24 hours to 5:54 pm AST (21:54 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 91 km (56 mi) WSW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Pájaros

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) southeast of Pájaros, PR, at 2:49 am AST on 24 October 2018 (06:49 UTC), 54 km deep.

USGS: 7 km SE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico

7 km (5 mi) SSW of Bayamón, PR

2:49 am AST, Oct 24, 2018 · · 54 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Pájaros Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Bayamón Municipio 4 kmGuaynabo Municipio 7 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 8 kmNaranjito Municipio 9 kmToa Alta Municipio 9 kmComerío Municipio 11 kmCataño Municipio 15 kmToa Baja Municipio 16 kmCorozal Municipio 16 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
2:49 am AST on 24 October 2018 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) southeast of Pájaros, PR · earthquakes near Pájaros
Magnitude
M 1.7 (md)
Depth
54 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Bayamón Municipio, 4 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2941 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 Pájaros, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Naranjito, Guaynabo, Mucarabones, Bayamón, Galateo, Aguas Buenas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 930,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 83× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 49 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 8 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, 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 18.3161, -66.1768. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Bayamón Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) NNE earthquakes near Bayamón Municipio
Guaynabo Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guaynabo Municipio
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SE earthquakes near Aguas Buenas Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) WSW earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NW earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
Comerío Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Comerío Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 6 km NNW of Garrochales, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 9 km SSW of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.6 2 km ENE of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.7 5 km E of Comerío, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 2 km SSE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.7 Puerto Rico region
  7. 2.0 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 4 km SW of Patillas, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 2 km N of Carolina, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 7 km SE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 4 km ESE of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  13. 2.0 3 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 2 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 2 km SSW of Jauca, 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.