QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Aguas Buenas, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Aguas Buenas in the 24 hours to 3:21 pm AST (19:21 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 87 km (54 mi) ESE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Aguas Buenas

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west-northwest of Aguas Buenas, PR, at 2:30 am AST on 26 January 2024 (06:30 UTC), 16 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km WNW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico

18 km (11 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 12 km (8 mi) WNW of Caguas, PR

2:30 am AST, Jan 26, 2024 · · 16 km deep · released about 140 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Aguas Buenas Municipio 3 kmComerío Municipio 9 kmBayamón Municipio 9 kmGuaynabo Municipio 9 kmCidra Municipio 11 kmNaranjito Municipio 11 kmCaguas Municipio 12 kmToa Alta Municipio 15 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 17 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
2:30 am AST on 26 January 2024 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west-northwest of Aguas Buenas, PR · earthquakes near Aguas Buenas
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Aguas Buenas Municipio, 3 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1020 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Aguas Buenas, 5 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: Sumidero 6 km, intensity II · Guaynabo 11 km, intensity II · Caguas 11 km, intensity II · Bayamón 14 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 140 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 78,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 140 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 1,700 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 · 2 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 33 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 18.2685, -66.1507. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) ESE earthquakes near Aguas Buenas Municipio
Comerío Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) WSW earthquakes near Comerío Municipio
Bayamón Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NNW earthquakes near Bayamón Municipio
Guaynabo Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guaynabo Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) S earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 7 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.2 6 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 8 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 3 km SW of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.5 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 7 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 8 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 8 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 6 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 7 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 8 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 6 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 5 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 2 km NE of Coco, 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.