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M2.8 Earthquake near Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico — 31 August 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.8 was recorded near Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico on , with an epicentre 10 km north-northeast of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, at a focal depth of 95.9 km. It ranked as the 50th strongest of 148 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in the preceding 30 days.

2.8 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-08-31 03:39:35

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 2.8 (minor)

Focal depth: 95.9 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 18.5490, -66.4453

Location: 10 km NNE of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, 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 2.8 earthquake radiates roughly 274 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 124, 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 23:13 local solar time at the epicentre, late at night.

This event was deeper than 98% of the 3,668 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in our catalogue and stronger than 70% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 18.5490, -66.4453 — 10 km north-northeast of Tierras Nuevas Poniente. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 2.6 earthquake 21 km west-southwest of here on 28 August 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Brenas (16 km east-southeast), Animas (24 km west-southwest), Campanilla (27 km southeast) and Candelaria Arenas (28 km southeast).

Why the 96 km depth matters

At 96 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

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 intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow 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 M2.8 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 in the 6 hours since this event.

100 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 M2.8 event released about 38,905 times less energy than that event.

1633 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 115 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 August 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Puerto Rico during August 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico

All recorded earthquakes in Puerto Rico →

Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 2 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Tierras Nuevas Poniente?

It measured magnitude 2.8 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.8 earthquake radiates roughly 274 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Tierras Nuevas Poniente?

The focus was 96 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Tierras Nuevas Poniente earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 2.8 and a focal depth of 96 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Tierras Nuevas Poniente happen?

31 August 2026 at 03:39 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 in the 6 hours since this event.

How often do earthquakes happen near Tierras Nuevas Poniente?

100 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 M2.8 event released about 38,905 times less energy than that event.