QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4md

Earthquake near Luquillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Luquillo in the 24 hours to 3:16 am AST (07:16 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 61 km (38 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 Luquillo

This page: a magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) north-northeast of Luquillo, PR, at 8:32 am AST on 16 May 2022 (12:32 UTC), 36 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 47 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico

68 km (42 mi) NE of San Juan, PR

8:32 am AST, May 16, 2022 · · 36 km deep · released about 1.7 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Luquillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Fajardo Municipio 43 kmLuquillo Municipio 48 kmRío Grande Municipio 51 kmCulebra Municipio 55 kmLoíza Municipio 55 kmCeiba Municipio 58 kmCanóvanas Municipio 61 kmCarolina Municipio 61 kmNaguabo Municipio 65 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
8:32 am AST on 16 May 2022 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) north-northeast of Luquillo, PR · earthquakes near Luquillo
Magnitude
M 3.4 (md)
Depth
36 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Fajardo Municipio, 43 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1556 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 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In Luquillo, 48 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.7 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 100,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 4,600× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,200× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 1.7 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 3.5× more

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 2021-03-09 — about 140 times the energy of this one.

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 · 26 km N 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 18.7683, -65.5448. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Fajardo Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) S earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 48 km (30 mi) SSW earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 51 km (32 mi) SSW earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Culebra Municipio, PR 55 km (34 mi) SSE earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Loíza Municipio, PR 55 km (34 mi) SW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 58 km (36 mi) S earthquakes near Ceiba 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. 3.3 91 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.2 56 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.9 60 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 41 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.3 59 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 52 km N of Loíza, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 77 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.3 Puerto Rico region
  9. 3.0 60 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 60 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.2 72 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.1 65 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.1 64 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 66 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.2 18 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.