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 11:32 pm AST (03:32 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 4 km (2 mi) southwest of Tallaboa, PR, at 10:33 pm AST on 1 January 2019 (02:33 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

13 km (8 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

10:33 pm AST, Jan 1, 2019 · · 12 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Peñuelas Municipio 6 kmGuayanilla Municipio 6 kmPonce Municipio 15 kmYauco Municipio 17 kmGuánica Municipio 19 kmAdjuntas Municipio 23 kmSabana Grande Municipio 24 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 27 kmMaricao Municipio 30 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
10:33 pm AST on 1 January 2019 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) southwest of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Peñuelas Municipio, 6 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2871 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 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Tallaboa, 4 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: Tallaboa 4 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 5 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 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 5.8 930,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 660,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 59× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 17.9746, -66.7475. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NNE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) N earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 7 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 8 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 1 km SW of San Germán, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 12 km E of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 8 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 6 km NW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.5 7 km ESE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.5 1 km NE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 7 km SSW of Estancias de Florida, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 3 km WNW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.7 5 km S of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 1 km S of San Germán, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 4 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 3 km SSE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 4 km ENE of Hormigueros, 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.