QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8md

Earthquake near Las Marias, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Las Marias in the 24 hours to 4:42 pm AST (20:42 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 12 km (8 mi) NNE, at 12:03 am AST on 6 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Las Marias

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Las Marias, PR, at 4:55 am AST on 16 February 2019 (08:55 UTC), 12 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 1 km ESE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico

98 km (61 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 18 km (11 mi) ENE of Mayagüez, PR

4:55 am AST, Feb 16, 2019 · · 12 km deep · released about 6.6 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Las Marias Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Las Marías Municipio 2 kmMaricao Municipio 9 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 9 kmLares Municipio 11 kmSan Germán Municipio 17 kmAñasco Municipio 17 kmMoca Municipio 18 kmSabana Grande Municipio 18 kmHormigueros Municipio 20 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
4:55 am AST on 16 February 2019 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Las Marias, PR · earthquakes near Las Marias
Magnitude
M 3.8 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Las Marías Municipio, 2 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2751 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 79 km (49 mi) from the epicentre. In Las Marias, 19 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: San Sebastián 10 km, intensity III · Lares 11 km, intensity III · Mayagüez 18 km, intensity III · San Germán 20 km, intensity III · Quebradillas 25 km, intensity III · Aguada 27 km, intensity III · Yauco 27 km, intensity III · Rafael Hernandez 27 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 26,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 810× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 6.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 14× more

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 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 33 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 43 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 48 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 20 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 42 km W 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 18.2478, -66.9740. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Las Marías Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) S earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SSE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
San Sebastián Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) N earthquakes near San Sebastián Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lares Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) WNW earthquakes near Añasco 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. 2.1 6 km N of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 9 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 5 km W of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 6 km E of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.6 0 km SW of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 5 km WSW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 2 km N of Monte Grande, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 3 km SE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.0 20 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 1 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.2 2 km W of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 2 km SW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 1 km NNW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 2 km SSW of Tallaboa Alta, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 3 km S of Las Marías, 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.