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United States · Puerto Rico

M4.8 Earthquake near Montalva, Puerto Rico (United States)

UTC time: 2026-09-18 13:19:35 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

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About this earthquake

On September 18, 2026 at 13:19 UTC, a magnitude M4.8 earthquake occurred near Montalva, Puerto Rico (United States). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 7 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. United States: 150 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.8.

Details

ID
11716e05eb43ec9f290ba1a9c1329bbac68ea5b8
Magnitude
M4.8
Depth
7.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-18 13:19:35 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
Puerto Rico
City
Montalva
County
Guánica
Source
usgs
Coordinates
17.93910, -66.94550
Temperature
31.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 7 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 7 km
Shallow
7 km
7 km — shallower than the regional average (15.2 km)
Regional average: 15.2 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 164'067
72 Felt reports · max reported intensity 5.4

Ground shaking

IV
Light · Intensity (MMI) IV
Felt by many, no damage.

Tectonic context

Located on the Caribbean Plate.
Near the boundary Caribbean ↔ North America · about 202 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Saba
    Distance: 395 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 887 m ·Last eruption: 1640 ·Netherlands
  • Quill, The
    Distance: 425 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 601 m ·Last eruption: 250 ·Netherlands
  • Liamuiga
    Distance: 444 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'156 m ·Last eruption: 160 ·Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Nevis Peak
    Distance: 471 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 985 m ·Saint Kitts and Nevis

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Mercedita International AirportPuerto Rico · PSE · TJPS
    41.2 kmStraight-line distance
  • Eugenio Maria De Hostos AirportPuerto Rico · MAZ · TJMZ
    41.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-18

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Puerto Rico

Context for this earthquake

18 Sep 2025 – 18 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 88 Catalogue entries

Of 87 other entries for this area and period, 0 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · United States

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Country statistics · United States

Country overview
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