M2.2 Earthquake near Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico — 02 September 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.2 was recorded near Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico on , with an epicentre 0 km west-southwest of Magas Arriba, at a focal depth of 15.7 km. It ranked as the 119th strongest of 156 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-09-02 02:35:29
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.2 (minor)
Focal depth: 15.7 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 18.0140, -66.7757
Location: 0 km WSW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
Country: Puerto Rico
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 2.2 earthquake radiates roughly 29 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 74, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 22:08 local solar time at the epicentre, late at night.
This event was deeper than 58% of the 3,682 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in our catalogue and stronger than 27% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 18.0140, -66.7757 — 0 km west-southwest of Magas Arriba. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.9 earthquake 4 km west of here on 31 August 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Adjuntas (13 km north-northeast), Boquerón (37 km west), Bajadero (40 km north-northeast) and Arecibo (48 km north).
Why the 16 km depth matters
At 16 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, events this small are usually detected by instruments rather than people. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M2.2 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
97 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.9 event near Punta Cana on 25 February 2025. This M2.2 event released about 367,282 times less energy than that event.
1502 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 131 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Puerto Rico during September 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M2.9 earthquake near Guayanilla, Puerto Rico — (4 km W)
- M2.2 earthquake near Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico — (4 km ENE)
- M2.3 earthquake near Tallaboa, Puerto Rico — (4 km ESE)
- M2.4 earthquake near Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico — (4 km ENE)
- M2.3 earthquake near Tallaboa, Puerto Rico — (4 km E)
- M2.5 earthquake near Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico — (4 km SSE)
- M2.0 earthquake near Tallaboa, Puerto Rico — (5 km ESE)
- M2.0 earthquake near Indios, Puerto Rico — (7 km W)
- M2.2 earthquake near Tallaboa Alta, Puerto Rico — (9 km ENE)
- M2.1 earthquake near Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico — (12 km SW)
Other recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico
- M2.1 earthquake near Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico —
- M2.1 earthquake near Guánica, Puerto Rico —
- M2.2 earthquake near Guánica, Puerto Rico —
- M2.8 earthquake near Arecibo, Puerto Rico —
- M2.5 earthquake near Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico —
- M1.8 earthquake near Guánica, Puerto Rico —
- M3.0 earthquake near Stella, Puerto Rico —
- M2.8 earthquake near Stella, Puerto Rico —
- M2.5 earthquake near Añasco, Puerto Rico —
- M2.2 earthquake near Naranjito, Puerto Rico —
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.1 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Susitna North, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Pāhala, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico —
- M2.2 earthquake near Karluk, United States —
- M2.1 earthquake near Guánica, Puerto Rico —
- M2.0 earthquake near Akhiok, United States —
- M1.9 earthquake near Houston, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Magas Arriba?
It measured magnitude 2.2 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.2 earthquake radiates roughly 29 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Magas Arriba?
The focus was 16 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Magas Arriba earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 2.2 and a focal depth of 16 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Magas Arriba happen?
02 September 2026 at 02:35 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
How often do earthquakes happen near Magas Arriba?
97 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.9 event near Punta Cana on 25 February 2025. This M2.2 event released about 367,282 times less energy than that event.