QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Carrizales, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Carrizales in the 24 hours to 4:40 pm AST (20:40 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 43 km (27 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Carrizales

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) north of Carrizales, PR, at 10:46 am AST on 16 October 2019 (14:46 UTC), 31 km deep.

USGS: 15 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico

78 km (49 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 19 km (12 mi) N of Arecibo, PR

10:46 am AST, Oct 16, 2019 · · 31 km deep · released about 40 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hatillo Municipio 21 kmCamuy Municipio 22 kmArecibo Municipio 23 kmQuebradillas Municipio 24 kmBarceloneta Municipio 28 kmIsabela Municipio 30 kmManatí Municipio 35 kmFlorida Municipio 36 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 39 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
10:46 am AST on 16 October 2019 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) north of Carrizales, PR · earthquakes near Carrizales
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
31 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hatillo Municipio, 21 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2583 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 Carrizales, 16 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: Hatillo, Camuy, Arecibo, Corcovado, Rafael Gonzalez, Bajadero.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 40 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 380,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 270,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 24× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 40 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 4.4 on 2018-12-09 — about 3,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 45 km W of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 47 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km W of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 43 km W 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 18.6245, -66.7693. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hatillo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) SSW earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 23 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) SE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 17 km N of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 34 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 7 km ESE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.6 3 km SSE of Utuado, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 17 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 32 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 42 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 2 km SSW of Sabana Hoyos, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 50 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 6 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 63 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 64 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 29 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 3 km SE of Utuado, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 17 km NNW of San Antonio, 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.