QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Vega Alta, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Vega Alta in the 24 hours to 5:54 pm AST (21:54 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 84 km (52 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Vega Alta

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Vega Alta, PR, at 10:12 pm AST on 28 October 2018 (02:12 UTC), 63 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SSW of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico

29 km (18 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 19 km (11 mi) W of Bayamón, PR

10:12 pm AST, Oct 28, 2018 · · 63 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Vega Alta Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vega Alta Municipio 7 kmCorozal Municipio 8 kmToa Alta Municipio 10 kmVega Baja Municipio 11 kmMorovis Municipio 11 kmNaranjito Municipio 13 kmDorado Municipio 13 kmToa Baja Municipio 18 kmManatí Municipio 18 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
10:12 pm AST on 28 October 2018 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Vega Alta, PR · earthquakes near Vega Alta
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
63 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Vega Alta Municipio, 7 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2936 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 Vega Alta, 4 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: Corozal, Miranda, Monserrate, H. Rivera Colon, Río Lajas, Ceiba.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 · 32 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 25 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 14 km N 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 18.3775, -66.3386. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) N earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Corozal Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Corozal Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) E earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Morovis Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SE earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 34 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.5 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  5. 1.9 2 km N of Carolina, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 21 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 4 km ESE of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  9. 2.0 3 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 2 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 2 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 2 km SE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 1 km SSE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 6 km NNW of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 3 km NNW of Playita Cortada, 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.