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United States · Puerto Rico

M2.9 Earthquake near Montalva, Puerto Rico (United States)

UTC time: 2026-08-16 01:38:46 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On August 16, 2026 at 01:38 UTC, a magnitude M2.9 earthquake occurred near Montalva, Puerto Rico (United States). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 14 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. United States: 148 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.0.

Details

ID
55040fdef021fb03af23d3427b061efd8d9b8a1f
Magnitude
M2.9
Depth
13.6 km
UTC time
2026-08-16 01:38:46 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
Puerto Rico
City
Montalva
County
Guánica
Source
usgs
Coordinates
17.95300, -66.94133
Temperature
28.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 13.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 13.6 km
Shallow
13.6 km
13.6 km — close to the regional average (15.3 km)
Regional average: 15.3 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

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

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

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-06

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

06 Sep 2025 – 06 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 851 Catalogue entries

Of 850 other entries for this area and period, 120 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · United States

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · United States

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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