QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the 24 hours to 6:01 pm AST (22:01 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) WNW, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Tallaboa

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) south-southwest of Tallaboa, PR, at 12:08 am AST on 17 December 2018 (04:08 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 7 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

14 km (9 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

12:08 am AST, Dec 17, 2018 · · 12 km deep · released about 13 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 11 kmPeñuelas Municipio 11 kmPonce Municipio 16 kmGuánica Municipio 20 kmYauco Municipio 22 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 27 kmAdjuntas Municipio 28 kmSabana Grande Municipio 29 kmLajas Municipio 33 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
12:08 am AST on 17 December 2018 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) south-southwest of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 11 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2887 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Tallaboa, 8 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: Magas Arriba, Indios, Guayanilla, Tallaboa Alta, Peñuelas, Ponce.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 13 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 840,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 75× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 13 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 17.9266, -66.7350. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) N earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 9 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 10 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 7 km NE of Utuado, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.7 11 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 16 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 4 km N of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 18 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 9 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 9 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 9 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 20 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.5 7 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.6 0 km SE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 2 km SSE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 3 km SW of Sabana Grande, 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.