QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Brenas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Brenas in the 24 hours to 5:49 pm AST (21:49 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 87 km (54 mi) SW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Brenas

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) north of Brenas, PR, at 1:47 am AST on 22 February 2022 (05:47 UTC), 29 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 13 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico

35 km (22 mi) NW of San Juan, PR · 30 km (18 mi) NW of Bayamón, PR

1:47 am AST, Feb 22, 2022 · · 29 km deep · released about 780 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Brenas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Dorado Municipio 15 kmVega Baja Municipio 16 kmVega Alta Municipio 17 kmToa Baja Municipio 21 kmManatí Municipio 23 kmCataño Municipio 26 kmBarceloneta Municipio 27 kmToa Alta Municipio 27 kmMorovis Municipio 31 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
1:47 am AST on 22 February 2022 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) north of Brenas, PR · earthquakes near Brenas
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
29 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Dorado Municipio, 15 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1724 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Brenas, 13 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: San Antonio 16 km, intensity II · Dorado 16 km, intensity II · Vega Baja 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 780 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 19,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 14,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 780 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 4.8 on 2017-08-18 — about 620 times the energy of this one.

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 · 24 km W of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 42 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 10 km S 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 18.5872, -66.3393. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dorado Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) SSW earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SE earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) SW earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Cataño Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Cataño Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 1 km WNW of Río Lajas, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.0 5 km N of Levittown, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.8 20 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 5 km NW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 1 km NNW of Campanilla, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 2 km NW of Cataño, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 30 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 5 km ESE of Naranjito, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.4 26 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.0 30 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 4 km NNE of Aibonito, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.6 0 km E of Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 29 km N of Garrochales, 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.