QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Potala Pastillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Potala Pastillo in the 24 hours to 7:58 pm AST (23:58 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 10:09 am AST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) south of Potala Pastillo, PR, at 11:28 am AST on 21 May 2019 (15:28 UTC), 24 km deep.

USGS: 15 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico

19 km (12 mi) SE of Ponce, PR

11:28 am AST, May 21, 2019 · · 24 km deep · released about 160 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 16 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 18 kmPonce Municipio 18 kmPeñuelas Municipio 29 kmSalinas Municipio 30 kmVillalba Municipio 31 kmCoamo Municipio 32 kmGuayanilla Municipio 34 kmJayuya Municipio 40 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
11:28 am AST on 21 May 2019 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) south of Potala Pastillo, PR · earthquakes near Potala Pastillo
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
24 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 16 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2647 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 Potala Pastillo, 15 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: Playita Cortada, Santa Isabel, Capitanejo, Aguilita, Ponce, Las Ollas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 160 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 95,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 68,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 160 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2019-03-12 — about 1,500 times the energy of this one.

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 17.8575, -66.5223. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 29 km (18 mi) NW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) ENE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Villalba Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 1 km NNE of Jobos, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 4 km SSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 7 km NNW of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 7 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.7 11 km SW of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 4 km NE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.6 3 km W of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.5 6 km NNE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 6 km W of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 2 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 12 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 5 km N of Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 5 km SE of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 Puerto Rico region

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.