QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 4:31 am AST (08:31 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) east of Ponce, PR, at 1:37 pm AST on 4 November 2018 (17:37 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

10 km (6 mi) E of Ponce, PR

1:37 pm AST, Nov 4, 2018 · · 14 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 4 kmPonce Municipio 8 kmVillalba Municipio 15 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 16 kmCoamo Municipio 21 kmPeñuelas Municipio 21 kmJayuya Municipio 23 kmOrocovis Municipio 25 kmSalinas Municipio 28 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
1:37 pm AST on 4 November 2018 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) east of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 4 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2930 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 Ponce, 10 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: Capitanejo, Aguilita, Potala Pastillo, Coto Laurel, Luis Llorens Torres, Juana Díaz.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 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.

Where

Epicentre 18.0083, -66.5280. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) ESE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) W earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) W earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 9 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 3 km NNW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 4 km ESE of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 9 km NNE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  6. 2.0 3 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 19 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 2 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.0 2 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 2 km SE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km SSE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 3 km NNW of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.9 2 km S of Las Ochenta, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 15 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 5 km WSW of Adjuntas, 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

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