QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near San Juan, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Juan in the 24 hours to 7:39 pm AST (23:39 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 99 km (62 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near San Juan

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 31 km (20 mi) southwest of San Juan, PR, at 1:05 am AST on 9 January 2019 (05:05 UTC), 21 km deep.

USGS: 6 km WNW of Palomas, Puerto Rico

30 km (19 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 20 km (13 mi) SW of Bayamón, PR

1:05 am AST, Jan 9, 2019 · · 21 km deep · released about 24 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Corozal Municipio 5 kmBarranquitas Municipio 7 kmNaranjito Municipio 7 kmComerío Municipio 10 kmToa Alta Municipio 14 kmMorovis Municipio 14 kmOrocovis Municipio 14 kmAibonito Municipio 15 kmBayamón Municipio 18 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
1:05 am AST on 9 January 2019 ()
Where
31 km (20 mi) southwest of San Juan, PR · earthquakes near San Juan
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Corozal Municipio, 5 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2864 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 San Juan, 31 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: Barranquitas, Naranjito, Corozal, Comerío, H. Rivera Colon, Galateo.

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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 43 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 18 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 27 km N 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 18.2588, -66.3076. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Corozal Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near Corozal Municipio
Barranquitas Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) S earthquakes near Barranquitas Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) ENE earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio
Comerío Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Comerío Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near Morovis Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 0 km SSE of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 5 km SE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 4 km NW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.3 6 km NE of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 24 km NNE of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 8 km NNW of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 1 km ESE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 2 km WNW of Las Ollas, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 8 km SSW of Ciales, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.6 7 km NNE of Tallaboa Alta, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 5 km ENE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.9 8 km NNE of Animas, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 3 km ENE of Bairoa, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 24 km N of Dorado, 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.