QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near Puerto Real, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Puerto Real in the 24 hours to 4:33 pm AST (20:33 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 10 km (6 mi) SE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Puerto Real

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) west-northwest of Puerto Real, PR, at 3:15 am AST on 16 August 2019 (07:15 UTC), 13 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico

23 km (14 mi) WSW of Mayagüez, PR · 139 km (86 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

3:15 am AST, Aug 16, 2019 · · 13 km deep · released about 1,100 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Puerto Real Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 24 kmHormigueros Municipio 24 kmRincón Municipio 24 kmAñasco Municipio 28 kmAguada Municipio 31 kmSan Germán Municipio 33 kmLajas Municipio 37 kmMoca Municipio 39 kmLas Marías 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
3:15 am AST on 16 August 2019 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) west-northwest of Puerto Real, PR · earthquakes near Puerto Real
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 24 km SE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2566 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Puerto Real, 18 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: Puerto Real 18 km, intensity II · Mayagüez 23 km, intensity II · Rincón 25 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 25 km, intensity II · Aguada 32 km, intensity II · San Germán 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 13,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 9,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,100 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 4.3 on 2017-10-14 — about 75 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 36 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 41 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 6 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 5 km NW 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 18.1385, -67.3466. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Rincón Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Aguada Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Aguada Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 33 km (20 mi) E earthquakes near San Germán Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 54 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.8 4 km N of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 23 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 32 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 2 km NNW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 18 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.8 6 km NE of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
  8. 4.3 21 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 28 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 4 km SSE of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  12. 1.6 3 km ESE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 29 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 4 km E of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 15 km WSW of Pole Ojea, 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.