QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Jauca, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Jauca in the 24 hours to 12:34 am AST (04:34 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 7 km (4 mi) NNE, at 5:05 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Jauca

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west of Jauca, PR, at 7:08 am AST on 25 December 2018 (11:08 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 2 km W of Jauca, Puerto Rico

59 km (37 mi) SW of San Juan, PR · 26 km (16 mi) E of Ponce, PR

7:08 am AST, Dec 25, 2018 · · 12 km deep · released about 24 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Isabel Municipio 2 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 12 kmSalinas Municipio 13 kmCoamo Municipio 15 kmVillalba Municipio 20 kmAibonito Municipio 22 kmPonce Municipio 24 kmGuayama Municipio 26 kmBarranquitas Municipio 27 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
7:08 am AST on 25 December 2018 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west of Jauca, PR · earthquakes near Jauca
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Santa Isabel Municipio, 2 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2879 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Jauca, 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.

Likely felt in: Santa Isabel 2 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 24 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 5.8 640,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 450,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 40× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 24 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 17.9678, -66.3846. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) S earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) NNW earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 1 km NW of Sumidero, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 6 km NW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 2 km SW of H. Rivera Colon, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.5 7 km ESE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.5 1 km NE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 7 km SSW of Estancias de Florida, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 3 km N of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 5 km S of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 3 km SSE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 4 km SE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km S of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 0 km SW of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 3 km SW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 5 km SSE of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 6 km WNW of Palomas, 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.