QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Arecibo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Arecibo in the 24 hours to 5:21 pm AST (21:21 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 49 km (31 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Arecibo

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) west-northwest of Arecibo, PR, at 1:04 am AST on 18 May 2025 (05:04 UTC), 41 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 20 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico

47 km (29 mi) WNW of Arecibo, PR · 114 km (71 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR

1:04 am AST, May 18, 2025 · · 41 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Arecibo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Aguadilla Municipio 22 kmIsabela Municipio 24 kmQuebradillas Municipio 30 kmMoca Municipio 34 kmAguada Municipio 35 kmCamuy Municipio 37 kmRincón Municipio 41 kmSan Sebastián Municipio 41 kmHatillo Municipio 42 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
1:04 am AST on 18 May 2025 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) west-northwest of Arecibo, PR · earthquakes near Arecibo
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
41 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Aguadilla Municipio, 22 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 543 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Arecibo, 47 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: Isabela, Rafael Hernandez, Mora, Caban, Aceitunas, Aguadilla.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 6.0 on 2019-09-24 — about 45,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 25 km N of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 9 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 32 km NW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 30 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 29 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 19 km SW 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 18.6783, -67.1083. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Aguadilla Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) S earthquakes near Aguadilla Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Isabela Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) SE earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Moca Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Moca Municipio
Aguada Municipio, PR 35 km (22 mi) SSW earthquakes near Aguada Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) SE earthquakes near Camuy Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 39 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 18 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.2 5 km SE of Espino, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.0 42 km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 21 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 3 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.2 51 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.0 48 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 26 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 37 km NW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.8 41 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.9 2 km NNW of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 22 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.4 68 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.4 61 km NW of San Antonio, 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.