M2.6 Earthquake near Tallaboa Alta, Puerto Rico — 30 May 2026
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.6 was recorded near Tallaboa Alta, Puerto Rico on , with an epicentre 3 km southeast of Tallaboa Alta, at a focal depth of 14.9 km. It ranked as the 68th strongest of 164 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-05-30 04:38:13
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.6 (minor)
Focal depth: 14.9 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 18.0292, -66.6723
Location: 3 km SE of Tallaboa Alta, 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 2.6 earthquake radiates roughly 142 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 108, 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 00:11 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.
This event was deeper than 53% of the 4,007 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in our catalogue and stronger than 63% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 18.0292, -66.6723 — 3 km southeast of Tallaboa Alta. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.0 earthquake 11 km southeast of here on 06 October 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Adjuntas (11 km north-northwest), Bajadero (37 km north), Animas (45 km north) and Arecibo (47 km north).
Why the 15 km depth matters
At 15 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, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. 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 M2.6 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
36 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.6.
99 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 M2.6 event released about 74,989 times less energy than that event.
1551 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 124 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 May 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Puerto Rico during May 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M2.0 earthquake near Ponce, Puerto Rico — (11 km SE)
- M2.2 earthquake near Ponce, Puerto Rico — (12 km SE)
- M2.2 earthquake near Yauco, Puerto Rico — (16 km W)
- M2.1 earthquake near Lluveras, Puerto Rico — (23 km W)
- M2.1 earthquake near Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico — (24 km WSW)
- M2.0 earthquake near Fuig, Puerto Rico — (25 km W)
- M2.0 earthquake near Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico — (25 km WSW)
- M1.8 earthquake near Lluveras, Puerto Rico — (26 km W)
- M2.2 earthquake near Guánica, Puerto Rico — (27 km WSW)
- M2.3 earthquake near Fuig, Puerto Rico — (28 km W)
Other recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico
- M3.1 earthquake near Hatillo, Puerto Rico —
- M2.8 earthquake near Mayagüez, Puerto Rico —
- M2.8 earthquake near Isabela, Puerto Rico —
- M2.3 earthquake near Fuig, Puerto Rico —
- M2.2 earthquake near Ponce, Puerto Rico —
- M2.7 earthquake near Isabela, Puerto Rico —
- M2.9 earthquake near Animas, Puerto Rico —
- M2.2 earthquake near Yauco, Puerto Rico —
- M2.0 earthquake near Fuig, Puerto Rico —
- M2.6 earthquake near Mayagüez, Puerto Rico —
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M2.6 earthquake near Pedro Bay, United States —
- M2.4 earthquake near Ninilchik, United States —
- M2.5 earthquake near Thomasville, United States —
- M2.9 earthquake near Glacier View, United States —
- M2.6 earthquake near Weston, United States —
- M2.6 earthquake near Wilderness Rim, United States —
- M2.8 earthquake near Mayagüez, Puerto Rico —
- M2.4 earthquake near Sanger, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Tallaboa Alta?
It measured magnitude 2.6 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.6 earthquake radiates roughly 142 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Tallaboa Alta?
The focus was 15 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Tallaboa Alta earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 2.6 and a focal depth of 15 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Tallaboa Alta happen?
30 May 2026 at 04:38 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
36 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.6.
How often do earthquakes happen near Tallaboa Alta?
99 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 M2.6 event released about 74,989 times less energy than that event.