QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Utuado, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Utuado in the 24 hours to 12:50 pm AST (16:50 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 40 km (25 mi) SSW, at 3:58 pm AST on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Utuado

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southeast of Utuado, PR, at 4:34 am AST on 18 October 2019 (08:34 UTC), 8.0 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SE of Utuado, Puerto Rico

67 km (42 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 24 km (15 mi) SSE of Arecibo, PR

4:34 am AST, Oct 18, 2019 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 23 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Utuado Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Utuado Municipio 4 kmJayuya Municipio 10 kmAdjuntas Municipio 11 kmCiales Municipio 18 kmFlorida Municipio 18 kmLares Municipio 21 kmArecibo Municipio 21 kmHatillo Municipio 25 kmVillalba Municipio 25 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
4:34 am AST on 18 October 2019 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southeast of Utuado, PR · earthquakes near Utuado
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Utuado Municipio, 4 km NW
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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Utuado, 3 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: Jayuya 10 km, intensity II · Adjuntas 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 23 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 5.8 660,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 470,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 42× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 23 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 37 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 45 km NE 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 18.2480, -66.6763. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Utuado Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) NW earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Jayuya Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SW earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ciales Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Florida Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) W earthquakes near Lares Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 2 km SE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 4 km SE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 8 km ESE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 2 km E of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 2 km ESE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 15 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 4 km SE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 9 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 2 km SSW of Sabana Hoyos, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 2 km SSW of Las Ochenta, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 2 km NNE of El Ojo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 3 km ESE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 14 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 2 km SSW of Las Ochenta, 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.