QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Yaurel, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Yaurel in the 24 hours to 12:12 pm AST (16:12 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 42 km (26 mi) WSW, at 8:40 am AST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yaurel

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) north of Yaurel, PR, at 10:54 pm AST on 31 December 2019 (02:54 UTC), 4.0 km deep.

USGS: 6 km N of Yaurel, Puerto Rico

36 km (22 mi) S of San Juan, PR · 17 km (10 mi) S of Caguas, PR

10:54 pm AST, Dec 31, 2019 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 56 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yaurel Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Lorenzo Municipio 11 kmCayey Municipio 11 kmPatillas Municipio 11 kmArroyo Municipio 12 kmCaguas Municipio 14 kmGuayama Municipio 15 kmCidra Municipio 16 kmMaunabo Municipio 19 kmYabucoa Municipio 20 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
10:54 pm AST on 31 December 2019 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) north of Yaurel, PR · earthquakes near Yaurel
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Lorenzo Municipio, 11 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2504 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Yaurel, 6 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: Jagual 10 km, intensity II · Cayey 13 km, intensity II · Guayama 13 km, intensity II · Caguas 17 km, intensity II · Sumidero 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 56 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 270,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 190,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 17× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 56 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 4.6 on 2016-12-05 — about 4,300 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 22 km NNW 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 18.0826, -66.0495. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Lorenzo Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near San Lorenzo Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Patillas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SE earthquakes near Patillas Municipio
Arroyo Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) S earthquakes near Arroyo Municipio
Caguas Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SW earthquakes near Guayama Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 3 km ESE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.9 2 km ESE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 0 km N of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.1 4 km SE of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.7 0 km E of Luis Llorens Torres, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.0 3 km WSW of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 2 km SSW of Jauca, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.0 3 km S of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 1 km SW of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 1 km S of Los Llanos, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 4 km N of Yaurel, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 9 km SE of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 3 km WSW of Playita Cortada, 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.