QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Santa Clara, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Clara in the 24 hours to 9:03 am AST (13:03 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 49 km (30 mi) SW, at 8:40 am AST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Santa Clara

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) east of Santa Clara, PR, at 11:30 pm AST on 19 December 2024 (03:30 UTC), 22 km deep.

USGS: 3 km E of Santa Clara, Puerto Rico

7 km (4 mi) WSW of Caguas, PR

11:30 pm AST, Dec 19, 2024 · · 22 km deep · released about 31 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Santa Clara Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Caguas Municipio 5 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 5 kmCidra Municipio 8 kmComerío Municipio 13 kmGurabo Municipio 14 kmCayey Municipio 14 kmGuaynabo Municipio 14 kmSan Lorenzo Municipio 15 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
11:30 pm AST on 19 December 2024 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) east of Santa Clara, PR · earthquakes near Santa Clara
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Caguas Municipio, 5 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 691 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Santa Clara, 4 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Sumidero, Aguas Buenas, Caguas, Bairoa, Cidra, G. L. Garcia.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 31 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 480,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 340,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 31× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 31 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 7,700 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 · 6 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 40 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 18.2183, -66.0990. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Caguas Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) E earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NW earthquakes near Aguas Buenas Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SW earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Comerío Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) W earthquakes near Comerío Municipio
Gurabo Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near Gurabo Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) SSW earthquakes near Cayey Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 4 km SW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 3 km W of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 4 km SSW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 4 km SSW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 3 km SSW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 4 km SSE of Juncos, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 9 km SE of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 5 km SSW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 3 km SSW of Playita Cortada, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 9 km S of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 0 km N of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 2 km SSE of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 0 km SW of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 0 km NW of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 4 km WNW of Olimpo, 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.