QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Las Ollas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Las Ollas in the 24 hours to 11:00 pm AST (03:00 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 8 km (5 mi) ENE, at 5:05 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Las Ollas

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west-northwest of Las Ollas, PR, at 9:06 pm AST on 15 December 2018 (01:06 UTC), 32 km deep.

USGS: 2 km SW of Las Ollas, Puerto Rico

19 km (12 mi) E of Ponce, PR

9:06 pm AST, Dec 15, 2018 · · 32 km deep · released about 25 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Las Ollas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 6 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 9 kmVillalba Municipio 13 kmCoamo Municipio 13 kmPonce Municipio 18 kmSalinas Municipio 20 kmOrocovis Municipio 22 kmAibonito Municipio 22 kmBarranquitas Municipio 24 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
9:06 pm AST on 15 December 2018 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west-northwest of Las Ollas, PR · earthquakes near Las Ollas
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
32 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 6 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2888 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 Las Ollas, 2 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: Río Cañas Abajo, Playita Cortada, Los Llanos, El Ojo, Potala Pastillo, Santa Isabel.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 25 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 620,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 440,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 39× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 25 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. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 42 km NE 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 18.0191, -66.4413. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) WSW earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNW earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) W earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) ESE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 6 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 6 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 4 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 2 km E of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 9 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.8 7 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 15 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 9 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 Puerto Rico region
  12. 1.8 2 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 9 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 10 km SSE 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.