QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near Arecibo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Arecibo in the 24 hours to 8:38 pm AST (00:38 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 3.0 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) north of Arecibo, PR, at 10:15 pm AST on 21 May 2025 (02:15 UTC), 11 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 14 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico

74 km (46 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 17 km (10 mi) N of Arecibo, PR

10:15 pm AST, May 21, 2025 · · 11 km deep · released about 1,100 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Arecibo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hatillo Municipio 19 kmArecibo Municipio 20 kmCamuy Municipio 22 kmBarceloneta Municipio 24 kmQuebradillas Municipio 26 kmManatí Municipio 31 kmFlorida Municipio 32 kmIsabela Municipio 32 kmUtuado Municipio 37 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
10:15 pm AST on 21 May 2025 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) north of Arecibo, PR · earthquakes near Arecibo
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Hatillo Municipio, 19 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 539 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 37 km (23 mi) from the epicentre. In Arecibo, 15 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Arecibo 15 km, intensity III · Hatillo 16 km, intensity II · Quebradillas 26 km, intensity II · Barceloneta 27 km, intensity II · Isabela 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 14,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 9,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,100 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 4.4 on 2018-12-09 — about 110 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 49 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 47 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 18 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 42 km WSW 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 18.6038, -66.7333. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hatillo Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) SSW earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) SSE earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) SW earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) SE earthquakes near Manatí Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 6 km ENE of Utuado, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.2 45 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.2 15 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.2 6 km NNW of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 4 km SW of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 4 km NNW of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.2 13 km NNW of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.0 14 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.1 39 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 1 km WNW of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 3 km SE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 18 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 4 km NE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.1 40 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.6 31 km N of Brenas, 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.