QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near San Juan, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Juan in the 24 hours to 2:38 am AST (06:38 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 2.5 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) east-southeast of San Juan, PR, at 10:51 pm AST on 17 January 2019 (02:51 UTC), 100 km deep.

USGS: 6 km ESE of San Juan, Puerto Rico

in San Juan, PR

10:51 pm AST, Jan 17, 2019 · · 100 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Juan Municipio 2 kmCarolina Municipio 10 kmCataño Municipio 10 kmLoíza Municipio 12 kmGuaynabo Municipio 12 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 12 kmToa Baja Municipio 15 kmBayamón Municipio 15 kmGurabo 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
10:51 pm AST on 17 January 2019 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) east-southeast of San Juan, PR · earthquakes near San Juan
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
100 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Juan Municipio, 2 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2855 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, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Eleanor Roosevelt, Cataño, Trujillo Alto, Guaynabo, Carolina, Bayamón.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 95,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 68,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 21 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 31 km WNW 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 18.4331, -66.0520. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Juan Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) SW earthquakes near San Juan Municipio
Carolina Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Carolina Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Guaynabo Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Guaynabo Municipio
Trujillo Alto Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) SSE earthquakes near Trujillo Alto Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 14 km NE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 16 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 2 km SSW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 3 km SE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 4 km SSE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 3 km SE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 13 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 4 km ENE of Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 7 km WNW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 3 km ESE of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.5 3 km ENE of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 3 km E of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.6 3 km E of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.2 4 km SSW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.0 Puerto Rico region

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.