QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near San Juan, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Juan in the 24 hours to 4:30 pm AST (20:30 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 99 km (62 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near San Juan

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) southwest of San Juan, PR, at 11:41 am AST on 17 November 2018 (15:41 UTC), 29 km deep.

USGS: 9 km W of Orocovis, Puerto Rico

48 km (30 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 29 km (18 mi) NNE of Ponce, PR

11:41 am AST, Nov 17, 2018 · · 29 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orocovis Municipio 4 kmCiales Municipio 9 kmVillalba Municipio 10 kmJayuya Municipio 12 kmMorovis Municipio 12 kmBarranquitas Municipio 18 kmCoamo Municipio 18 kmCorozal Municipio 19 kmFlorida Municipio 19 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
11:41 am AST on 17 November 2018 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) southwest of San Juan, PR · earthquakes near San Juan
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
29 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Orocovis Municipio, 4 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2916 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 San Juan, 48 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: Villalba, Jayuya, Ciales, Morovis, Franquez, Barahona.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 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 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 · 39 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 36 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 34 km NNE 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 18.2198, -66.4778. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orocovis Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) E earthquakes near Orocovis Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ciales Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Jayuya Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) W earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Morovis Municipio
Barranquitas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) E earthquakes near Barranquitas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 3 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 12 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 2 km ESE of Bajadero, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 6 km NNW of Garrochales, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 2 km ENE of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 5 km S of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.8 7 km NE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 5 km E of Comerío, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 8 km NE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.7 1 km WNW of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 2 km SSE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 Puerto Rico region
  13. 1.9 5 km SSW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.5 Puerto Rico region

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.