QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 2:54 pm AST (18:54 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 1.5 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) northwest of Ponce, PR, at 2:33 am AST on 30 November 2018 (06:33 UTC), 22 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

17 km (10 mi) NW of Ponce, PR

2:33 am AST, Nov 30, 2018 · · 22 km deep · released about 5.9 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Adjuntas Municipio 8 kmPeñuelas Municipio 10 kmYauco Municipio 15 kmGuayanilla Municipio 15 kmUtuado Municipio 17 kmJayuya Municipio 18 kmPonce Municipio 18 kmMaricao Municipio 23 kmLares 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
2:33 am AST on 30 November 2018 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) northwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Adjuntas Municipio, 8 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2904 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, 16 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: Adjuntas, Santo Domingo, Peñuelas, Tallaboa Alta, Magas Arriba, Guayanilla.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.9 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 160× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.9 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 18.1178, -66.7240. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) WSW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SSW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Utuado Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Jayuya Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 11 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 2 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 9 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 7 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 7 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 7 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 9 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.7 3 km WSW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.6 5 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 15 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 19 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 8 km S of Tallaboa, 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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