QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 12:22 pm AST (16:22 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 18 km (11 mi) northwest of Ponce, PR, at 9:08 am AST on 28 August 2019 (13:08 UTC), 20 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

19 km (12 mi) NW of Ponce, PR

9:08 am AST, Aug 28, 2019 · · 20 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Adjuntas Municipio 7 kmPeñuelas Municipio 11 kmYauco Municipio 12 kmGuayanilla Municipio 14 kmUtuado Municipio 18 kmPonce Municipio 20 kmJayuya Municipio 20 kmMaricao Municipio 20 kmSabana Grande Municipio 21 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
9:08 am AST on 28 August 2019 ()
Where
18 km (11 mi) northwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Adjuntas Municipio, 7 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2632 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, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Adjuntas, Santo Domingo, Peñuelas, Tallaboa Alta, Magas Arriba, Guayanilla.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 730,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 520,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 46× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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.

Where

Epicentre 18.1191, -66.7511. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) N earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SSE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) WSW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) SSW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Utuado Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) SE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 2 km E of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 2 km NE of Jayuya, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 8 km ENE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 3 km SSW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.6 2 km NNW of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 8 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 8 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 3 km SW of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 7 km E of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.5 7 km SSE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.6 2 km SSE of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 5 km ENE of Espino, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.6 9 km ESE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.5 8 km WNW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 8 km W of Adjuntas, 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

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