QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Cataño, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Cataño in the 24 hours to 5:51 pm AST (21:51 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 99 km (61 mi) ESE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cataño

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) east-southeast of Cataño, PR, at 7:02 pm AST on 6 May 2019 (23:02 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 2 km ESE of Cataño, Puerto Rico

in San Juan, PR

7:02 pm AST, May 6, 2019 · · 10 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cataño Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Juan Municipio 3 kmCataño Municipio 5 kmGuaynabo Municipio 10 kmToa Baja Municipio 10 kmBayamón Municipio 12 kmCarolina Municipio 14 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 15 kmLoíza Municipio 17 kmToa Alta Municipio 17 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
7:02 pm AST on 6 May 2019 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) east-southeast of Cataño, PR · earthquakes near Cataño
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Juan Municipio, 3 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2746 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 6 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Cataño, 2 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.

Likely felt in: Cataño 2 km, intensity II · San Juan 4 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 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 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 · 20 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 27 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 18.4323, -66.1001. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Juan Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Juan Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cataño Municipio
Guaynabo Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Guaynabo Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) WNW earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Bayamón Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Bayamón Municipio
Carolina Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Carolina Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 37 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.5 1 km WSW of Vázquez, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 9 km NNW of Levittown, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 36 km NNE of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 20 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 19 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 2 km ENE of Celada, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 16 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 11 km NNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 25 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 19 km NNE of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 5 km SE of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 5 km E of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 6 km NW of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 5 km NNW of Brenas, 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.