QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Vieques, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Vieques in the 24 hours to 12:53 pm AST (16:53 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 74 km (46 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Vieques

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) north-northeast of Vieques, PR, at 10:28 pm AST on 17 October 2019 (02:28 UTC), 35 km deep.

USGS: 25 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico

44 km (28 mi) NE of San Juan, PR · 37 km (23 mi) NE of Carolina, PR

10:28 pm AST, Oct 17, 2019 · · 35 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Vieques Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Luquillo Municipio 29 kmRío Grande Municipio 30 kmFajardo Municipio 30 kmLoíza Municipio 32 kmCarolina Municipio 37 kmCanóvanas Municipio 38 kmCeiba Municipio 43 kmSan Juan Municipio 44 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 45 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
10:28 pm AST on 17 October 2019 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) north-northeast of Vieques, PR · earthquakes near Vieques
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
35 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Luquillo Municipio, 29 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2581 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 Vieques, 26 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Suárez, Loíza, Playa Fortuna, Luquillo, Hato Candal, Palmer.

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 5.7 730,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 65× 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 lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 73 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNE 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 18.6318, -65.7173. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Luquillo Municipio, PR 29 km (18 mi) S earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 30 km (18 mi) SSW earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) SSE earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 32 km (20 mi) SW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Carolina Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) SW earthquakes near Carolina Municipio
Canóvanas Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) SSW earthquakes near Canóvanas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 68 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 62 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 14 km NNW of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 34 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 51 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 60 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 65 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 63 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 60 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 58 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.7 59 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.6 71 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 60 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.0 47 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.1 65 km N of Suárez, 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.