QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Fajardo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Fajardo in the 24 hours to 6:03 pm AST (22:03 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 53 km (33 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 Fajardo

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) north-northeast of Fajardo, PR, at 11:21 am AST on 1 December 2018 (15:21 UTC), 72 km deep.

USGS: 31 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico

59 km (37 mi) ENE of San Juan, PR · 51 km (31 mi) ENE of Carolina, PR

11:21 am AST, Dec 1, 2018 · · 72 km deep · released about 510 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fajardo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fajardo Municipio 25 kmLuquillo Municipio 32 kmRío Grande Municipio 37 kmCeiba Municipio 41 kmCulebra Municipio 41 kmLoíza Municipio 45 kmCanóvanas Municipio 47 kmNaguabo Municipio 49 kmCarolina Municipio 50 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
11:21 am AST on 1 December 2018 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) north-northeast of Fajardo, PR · earthquakes near Fajardo
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
72 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Fajardo Municipio, 25 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2832 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Fajardo, 34 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 510 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 30,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 21,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 510 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 73 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico · 44 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 18.6126, -65.5496. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fajardo Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 32 km (20 mi) SSW earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) SW earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 41 km (25 mi) S earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Culebra Municipio, PR 41 km (25 mi) SE earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 45 km (28 mi) WSW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  2. 2.7 57 km NNE of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.5 31 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.2 Puerto Rico region
  5. 3.0 70 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 72 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.0 52 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 20 km NE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 23 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 37 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 23 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.0 56 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  13. 3.2 70 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 67 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 58 km NNE of Culebra, 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.