QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Juncal, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Juncal in the 24 hours to 3:06 am AST (07:06 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 41 km (26 mi) S, at 3:58 pm AST on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Juncal

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north of Juncal, PR, at 10:07 am AST on 22 December 2018 (14:07 UTC), 45 km deep.

USGS: 3 km N of Juncal, Puerto Rico

91 km (57 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 24 km (15 mi) WSW of Arecibo, PR

10:07 am AST, Dec 22, 2018 · · 45 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Juncal Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Sebastián Municipio 5 kmLares Municipio 9 kmCamuy Municipio 13 kmLas Marías Municipio 14 kmQuebradillas Municipio 14 kmMoca Municipio 17 kmHatillo Municipio 17 kmIsabela Municipio 19 kmMaricao 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
10:07 am AST on 22 December 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north of Juncal, PR · earthquakes near Juncal
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
45 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Sebastián Municipio, 5 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2882 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 Juncal, 3 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: San Sebastián, Lares, Quebrada, Cacao, Piedra Gorda, Quebradillas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 33 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 40 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 43 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 45 km ENE 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 18.3405, -66.9245. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Sebastián Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Sebastián Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SE earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) SSW earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Moca Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Moca Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 9 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 7 km WSW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 5 km WSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 7 km NNW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.7 5 km N of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 4 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 4 km NNE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 5 km ENE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 6 km NNW of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 0 km NE of La Luisa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 19 km NNW of Garrochales, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 0 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 1 km S of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 1 km W of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 1 km SW of Guayanilla, 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.