QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Yauco, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Yauco in the 24 hours to 1:00 pm AST (17:00 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) ESE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yauco

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) north of Yauco, PR, at 6:32 pm AST on 8 May 2019 (22:32 UTC), 19 km deep.

USGS: 3 km N of Yauco, Puerto Rico

25 km (16 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR

6:32 pm AST, May 8, 2019 · · 19 km deep · released about 14 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yauco Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Yauco Municipio 2 kmGuayanilla Municipio 9 kmSabana Grande Municipio 11 kmPeñuelas Municipio 14 kmMaricao Municipio 15 kmGuánica Municipio 16 kmAdjuntas Municipio 16 kmSan Germán Municipio 20 kmLas Marías Municipio 22 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
6:32 pm AST on 8 May 2019 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) north of Yauco, PR · earthquakes near Yauco
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Yauco Municipio, 2 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2744 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 Yauco, 4 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: Palomas, Lluveras, Guayanilla, Indios, Magas Arriba, Santo Domingo.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 14 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 760,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 68× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 14 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 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 18.0691, -66.8490. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Yauco Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) W earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) ESE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) SSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 21 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 3 km NW of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 4 km N of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.6 2 km NNW of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 9 km ESE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.5 15 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 14 km SW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 2 km ESE of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 3 km WSW of Ciales, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 14 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.5 3 km NE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 4 km SW of Juncal, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.6 8 km NE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 6 km ESE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 6 km NW of Villalba, 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.