QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Maricao, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Maricao in the 24 hours to 4:34 pm AST (20:34 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 33 km (20 mi) SSE, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Maricao

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) east-southeast of Maricao, PR, at 9:34 pm AST on 17 October 2019 (01:34 UTC), 16 km deep.

USGS: 11 km ESE of Maricao, Puerto Rico

31 km (19 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR · 29 km (18 mi) E of Mayagüez, PR

9:34 pm AST, Oct 17, 2019 · · 16 km deep · released about 7.8 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Maricao Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Maricao Municipio 7 kmYauco Municipio 8 kmSabana Grande Municipio 11 kmAdjuntas Municipio 12 kmLares Municipio 14 kmLas Marías Municipio 14 kmGuayanilla Municipio 18 kmSan Germán Municipio 18 kmPeñuelas 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
9:34 pm AST on 17 October 2019 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) east-southeast of Maricao, PR · earthquakes near Maricao
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Maricao Municipio, 7 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2582 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 Maricao, 12 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: Sabana Grande, Lluveras, Yauco, Liborio Negron Torres, Lares, Palomas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.8 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 120× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.8 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 lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 34 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 18.1546, -66.8710. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Maricao Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) WNW earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) N earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 8 km ESE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 25 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 10 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 6 km W of Stella, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 10 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 10 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 15 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 9 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 2 km SSW of Sabana Hoyos, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.6 14 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 10 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 10 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 3 km W of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 6 km NNE of Arecibo, 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.