QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.1ml

Earthquake near El Negro, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in El Negro in the 24 hours to 9:03 am AST (13:03 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 7 km (5 mi) SSE, at 2:59 pm AST on 4 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near El Negro

This page: a magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south-southeast of El Negro, PR, at 9:10 pm AST on 1 May 2019 (01:10 UTC), 13 km deep. 350 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SSE of El Negro, Puerto Rico

52 km (32 mi) SSE of San Juan, PR · 35 km (22 mi) SE of Caguas, PR

9:10 pm AST, May 1, 2019 · · 13 km deep · released about 21 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near El Negro Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Maunabo Municipio 8 kmYabucoa Municipio 8 kmHumacao Municipio 16 kmPatillas Municipio 17 kmLas Piedras Municipio 22 kmArroyo Municipio 23 kmSan Lorenzo Municipio 23 kmNaguabo Municipio 26 kmJuncos Municipio 27 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
9:10 pm AST on 1 May 2019 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) south-southeast of El Negro, PR · earthquakes near El Negro
Magnitude
M 4.1 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
350 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Maunabo Municipio, 8 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2666 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 104 km (65 mi) from the epicentre. In El Negro, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Emajagua 6 km, intensity IV · Humacao 17 km, intensity III · Jagual 26 km, intensity III · Guayama 31 km, intensity III · Aguas Claras 34 km, intensity III · Caguas 36 km, intensity III · Cayey 38 km, intensity III · Esperanza 39 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.1 about 21 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 45× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2016-12-05 — about 5.6 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 44 km NW 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 17.9946, -65.8256. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Maunabo Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) W earthquakes near Maunabo Municipio
Yabucoa Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yabucoa Municipio
Humacao Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Humacao Municipio
Patillas Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) W earthquakes near Patillas Municipio
Las Piedras Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Las Piedras Municipio
Arroyo Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) W earthquakes near Arroyo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 16 km S of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 5 km WNW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 17 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 16 km SSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.7 18 km SSE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.7 18 km SSE of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 0 km ENE of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.5 1 km WSW of Vázquez, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 10 km SSE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.5 1 km ENE of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 18 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 21 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.5 5 km SSW of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 3 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 3 km E of Ceiba, 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.