QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Cidra, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Cidra in the 24 hours to 9:50 pm AST (01:50 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 44 km (27 mi) SW, at 8:40 am AST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cidra

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) north of Cidra, PR, at 10:05 pm AST on 18 January 2019 (02:05 UTC), 6.0 km deep.

USGS: 3 km N of Cidra, Puerto Rico

24 km (15 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 13 km (8 mi) WSW of Caguas, PR

10:05 pm AST, Jan 18, 2019 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 280 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cidra Municipio 4 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 6 kmComerío Municipio 7 kmCaguas Municipio 12 kmCayey Municipio 12 kmNaranjito Municipio 13 kmAibonito Municipio 14 kmBarranquitas Municipio 16 kmBayamón Municipio 16 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
10:05 pm AST on 18 January 2019 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) north of Cidra, PR · earthquakes near Cidra
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cidra Municipio, 4 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2854 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Cidra, 4 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Sumidero 4 km, intensity III · Cayey 11 km, intensity III · Caguas 12 km, intensity II · Guaynabo 17 km, intensity II · Jagual 18 km, intensity II · Bayamón 21 km, intensity II · Corozal 22 km, intensity II · Trujillo Alto 23 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 280 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 53,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 38,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2016-12-05 — about 840 times the energy of this one.

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 · 6 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 38 km NNW 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 18.2078, -66.1606. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cidra Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) S earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NNE earthquakes near Aguas Buenas Municipio
Comerío Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) WNW earthquakes near Comerío Municipio
Caguas Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) S earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NW earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 10 km S of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.8 2 km SSE of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 2 km WSW of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.3 1 km E of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 3 km E of Naranjito, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 1 km SSW of Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 5 km SE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 1 km NW of Parcelas Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 9 km SE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 1 km NW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  13. 2.5 16 km S of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 15 km S of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.9 3 km N of Naranjito, 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.