M2.8 earthquake 13 km NNW of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 13 km NNW of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico at 23:39 local time (03:39 UTC) on 30 Aug 2026, at a depth of 96 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-08-31 10:18 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 2.8micro
duration magnitude (md) - Depth
- 95.9 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-08-31 03:39:35 UTC
- Local: 30 Aug 2026, 23:39:35 (America/Puerto Rico)
- Epicentre
- 18.549° N, 66.445° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Vega BajaPuerto Rico · pop. 29,325 | 13 km | INot felt |
| ManatíPuerto Rico · pop. 16,092 | 14 km | INot felt |
| BarcelonetaPuerto Rico · pop. 22,322 | 15 km | INot felt |
| LevittownToa Baja, Puerto Rico · pop. 29,785 | 30 km | INot felt |
| AreciboPuerto Rico · pop. 87,754 | 30 km | INot felt |
| San JuanPuerto Rico · pop. 418,140 | 36 km | INot felt |
| Santo Domingo EsteSanto Domingo Province, Dominican Republic · pop. 700,000 | 359 km | INot felt |
| Santo DomingoNacional, Dominican Republic · pop. 2,201,941 | 363 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · PR, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · PRheadlinePuerto Rico Seismic Network via U.S. Geological Survey | 2.8 md | 95.9 km | 18.55° N, 66.45° W | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Usually not felt. Recorded by nearby seismometers; thousands occur worldwide every day.
It released roughly the energy of 274 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 96 km this was a intermediate-depth earthquake, which spreads shaking over a wider area but less intensely.
M2.8 releases about 36× the energy of M1.8, and its waves are about 11× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 274 kg of TNT vs 8 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M1.8. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
1 later earthquake within 30 km; the largest was M2.8 2 days ago. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M2.8
1 later earthquake nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 625.93 | 2.8 | 89 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports close 14 days after an earthquake.
Reports on SeismoAtlas
No reports yet.
Event id pr71530413. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:14 UTC. Solutions: USGS · PR (usgs:pr71530413). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M2.8 earthquake 13 km NNW of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/pr71530413-m2-8-earthquake-13-km-nnw-of-vega-baja-puerto-rico, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/pr71530413. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.