QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near San Juan, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Juan in the 24 hours to 10:07 am AST (14:07 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 99 km (62 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 San Juan

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 30 km (19 mi) southwest of San Juan, PR, at 9:26 pm AST on 26 December 2022 (01:26 UTC), 8.2 km deep.

USGS: 5 km NW of Palomas, Puerto Rico

29 km (18 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR · 19 km (12 mi) SW of Bayamón, PR

9:26 pm AST, Dec 26, 2022 · · 8.2 km deep · released about 280 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Naranjito Municipio 5 kmCorozal Municipio 6 kmBarranquitas Municipio 7 kmComerío Municipio 9 kmToa Alta Municipio 12 kmMorovis Municipio 14 kmAibonito Municipio 15 kmOrocovis Municipio 16 kmBayamón Municipio 16 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
9:26 pm AST on 26 December 2022 ()
Where
30 km (19 mi) southwest of San Juan, PR · earthquakes near San Juan
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
8.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Naranjito Municipio, 5 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1415 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In San Juan, 30 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: Corozal 9 km, intensity III · Sumidero 18 km, intensity II · Ciales 20 km, intensity II · San Antonio 21 km, intensity II · Bayamón 21 km, intensity II · Coamo 21 km, intensity II · Cayey 22 km, intensity II · Dorado 22 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 280 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 53,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 38,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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 · 44 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 17 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 27 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 18.2633, -66.2958. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Naranjito Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) ENE earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio
Corozal Municipio, PR 6 km (3 mi) NW earthquakes near Corozal Municipio
Barranquitas Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) SSW earthquakes near Barranquitas Municipio
Comerío Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Comerío Municipio
Toa Alta Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Toa Alta Municipio
Morovis Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) WNW earthquakes near Morovis Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 2 km NNE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 24 km NNE of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 3 km W of Miranda, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 5 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 7 km NNW of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 20 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 4 km NW of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.2 6 km NNW of Jayuya, 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.