QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 7:16 pm AST (23:16 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 45 km (28 mi) southwest of Ponce, PR, at 5:50 am AST on 12 August 2019 (09:50 UTC), 30 km deep.

USGS: 30 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico

44 km (27 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

5:50 am AST, Aug 12, 2019 · · 30 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 28 kmLajas Municipio 35 kmGuayanilla Municipio 36 kmPeñuelas Municipio 40 kmYauco Municipio 43 kmSabana Grande Municipio 44 kmPonce Municipio 45 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 46 kmSan Germán Municipio 49 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
5:50 am AST on 12 August 2019 ()
Where
45 km (28 mi) southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
30 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 28 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2648 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 Ponce, 45 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 15 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 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 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 17.6958, -66.8850. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 28 km (18 mi) N earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 35 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 40 km (25 mi) NNE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 44 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 5 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 5 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.9 0 km WNW of Lajas, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 1 km NNE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 10 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 5 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 15 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 4 km N of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 2 km NNW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.7 4 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 2 km SSE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.6 4 km SSE of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  15. 1.6 3 km ESE of Sabana Grande, 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.