QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6md

Earthquake near Utuado, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Utuado in the 24 hours to 12:50 pm AST (16:50 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 40 km (25 mi) SSW, at 3:58 pm AST on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Utuado

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) south of Utuado, PR, at 2:53 am AST on 9 January 2025 (06:53 UTC), 8.0 km deep.

USGS: 3 km S of Utuado, Puerto Rico

27 km (17 mi) NNW of Ponce, PR · 25 km (16 mi) S of Arecibo, PR

2:53 am AST, Jan 9, 2025 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 9 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Utuado Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Utuado Municipio 5 kmAdjuntas Municipio 9 kmJayuya Municipio 12 kmLares Municipio 19 kmCiales Municipio 20 kmFlorida Municipio 21 kmArecibo Municipio 23 kmPeñuelas Municipio 23 kmYauco Municipio 24 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
2:53 am AST on 9 January 2025 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) south of Utuado, PR · earthquakes near Utuado
Magnitude
M 1.6 (md)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Utuado Municipio, 5 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 671 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Utuado, 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.

Likely felt in: Adjuntas 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 9 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 13,000,000 times the energy of this one.

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 · 39 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 48 km NE 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 18.2302, -66.6943. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Utuado Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) SW earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Jayuya Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ciales Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) NE earthquakes near Florida 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. 2.0 1 km NW of El Ojo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 8 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 3 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 5 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 11 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.8 1 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.0 2 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 4 km WNW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 2 km ESE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 9 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 1 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 11 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 3 km NE of Espino, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.5 5 km E of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 9 km WSW of Adjuntas, 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.