QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Vega Baja, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Vega Baja in the 24 hours to 10:44 am AST (14:44 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 81 km (51 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Vega Baja

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) north of Vega Baja, PR, at 2:46 pm AST on 6 June 2019 (18:46 UTC), 27 km deep.

USGS: 47 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico

65 km (40 mi) NNW of San Juan, PR · 60 km (37 mi) NE of Arecibo, PR

2:46 pm AST, Jun 6, 2019 · · 27 km deep · released about 110 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Vega Baja Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vega Baja Municipio 49 kmDorado Municipio 49 kmBarceloneta Municipio 50 kmManatí Municipio 51 kmVega Alta Municipio 51 kmToa Baja Municipio 53 kmCataño Municipio 57 kmArecibo Municipio 58 kmFlorida Municipio 60 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
2:46 pm AST on 6 June 2019 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) north of Vega Baja, PR · earthquakes near Vega Baja
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
27 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Vega Baja Municipio, 49 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2715 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 Vega Baja, 50 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 110 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 95,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 8.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 110 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 4.8 on 2017-08-18 — about 4,300 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 46 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 78 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico · 40 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 40 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 78 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 34 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 64 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 18 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 18.8921, -66.4070. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 49 km (30 mi) S earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 49 km (30 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 50 km (31 mi) SSW earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 51 km (31 mi) S earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 51 km (32 mi) S earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 53 km (33 mi) SSE earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 66 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 46 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 58 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 74 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 39 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 26 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 60 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 55 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 45 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 10 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 37 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 69 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 9 km NNW of Levittown, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 19 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 64 km N of San Juan, 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.