QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Bayamón, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Bayamón in the 24 hours to 5:23 pm AST (21:23 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 98 km (61 mi) WSW, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 86 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Bayamón

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 25 km (15 mi) south-southeast of Bayamón, PR, at 5:15 am AST on 15 December 2023 (09:15 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: 4 km ENE of Bayamon, Puerto Rico

6 km (4 mi) SW of Caguas, PR

5:15 am AST, Dec 15, 2023 · · 11 km deep · released about 47 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bayamón Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Caguas Municipio 3 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 9 kmCidra Municipio 9 kmSan Lorenzo Municipio 11 kmCayey Municipio 13 kmGurabo Municipio 13 kmComerío Municipio 16 kmGuaynabo Municipio 18 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 18 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
5:15 am AST on 15 December 2023 ()
Where
25 km (15 mi) south-southeast of Bayamón, PR · earthquakes near Bayamón
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Caguas Municipio, 3 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1063 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Bayamón, 25 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: Caguas 6 km, intensity II · Sumidero 7 km, intensity II · Jagual 9 km, intensity II · Cayey 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 47 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 320,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 230,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 20× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 47 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 5,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 10 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 45 km NW 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 18.1895, -66.0733. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Caguas Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) NE earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NW earthquakes near Aguas Buenas Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
San Lorenzo Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Lorenzo Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SW earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Gurabo Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NE earthquakes near Gurabo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 15 km S of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 5 km WNW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 4 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 5 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 3 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.4 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 5 km WSW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 6 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 6 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 4 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.1 13 km ESE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 3 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 2 km E of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.3 13 km SE of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 7 km SSE of Salinas, 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.