QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near La Plena, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in La Plena in the 24 hours to 11:30 am AST (15:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 31 km (19 mi) SW, at 7:09 pm AST on 5 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near La Plena

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southwest of La Plena, PR, at 3:32 am AST on 19 February 2024 (07:32 UTC), 7.8 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SW of La Plena, Puerto Rico

46 km (28 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 31 km (19 mi) SW of Caguas, PR

3:32 am AST, Feb 19, 2024 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near La Plena Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Salinas Municipio 7 kmGuayama Municipio 11 kmCayey Municipio 12 kmAibonito Municipio 13 kmCoamo Municipio 17 kmCidra Municipio 18 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 19 kmArroyo Municipio 20 kmBarranquitas Municipio 22 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
3:32 am AST on 19 February 2024 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southwest of La Plena, PR · earthquakes near La Plena
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Salinas Municipio, 7 km SW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 996 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 La Plena, 3 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: Cayey 12 km, intensity II · Guayama 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 37 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 5.8 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 26× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 37 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 5.0 on 2020-01-07 — about 26,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 28 km NNE 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 18.0228, -66.2258. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Salinas Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) SW earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guayama Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNW earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Cidra Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 4 km ENE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 4 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 4 km S of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 4 km S of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.7 4 km S of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.3 6 km NNW of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.6 4 km SSW of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 3 km NW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 5 km WSW of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 5 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 6 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 6 km SW of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 7 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 2 km WSW of Aibonito, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 6 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.