QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the 24 hours to 10:46 am AST (14:46 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) south-southwest of Tallaboa, PR, at 2:42 pm AST on 13 March 2019 (18:42 UTC), 19 km deep.

USGS: 9 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

16 km (10 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

2:42 pm AST, Mar 13, 2019 · · 19 km deep · released about 7.3 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 12 kmPeñuelas Municipio 12 kmPonce Municipio 17 kmGuánica Municipio 20 kmYauco Municipio 23 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 28 kmSabana Grande Municipio 29 kmAdjuntas Municipio 30 kmLajas Municipio 32 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
2:42 pm AST on 13 March 2019 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) south-southwest of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 12 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2800 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 Tallaboa, 9 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: Magas Arriba, Indios, Guayanilla, Tallaboa Alta, Peñuelas, Ponce.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.3 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 17.9155, -66.7406. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) N earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 15 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 18 km SSW of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.5 2 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.5 6 km WSW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.6 7 km SE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 6 km ESE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 2 km S of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 2 km N of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 5 km SSW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 15 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 1 km ESE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 17 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 5 km SW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 2 km WSW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 5 km WSW of Liborio Negron Torres, 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.