Earthquake.now

M2.9 Earthquake near Brenas, Puerto Rico — 19 August 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.9 was recorded near Brenas, Puerto Rico on , with an epicentre 7 km north-northeast of Brenas, at a focal depth of 75.1 km. It ranked as the 45th strongest of 208 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in the preceding 30 days.

2.9 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-08-19 11:16:28

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 2.9 (minor)

Focal depth: 75.1 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: 18.5313, -66.3172

Location: 7 km NNE of Brenas, 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 2.9 earthquake radiates roughly 362 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 131, 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 06:51 local solar time at the epicentre, around dawn.

This event was deeper than 96% of the 4,045 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in our catalogue and stronger than 73% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 18.5313, -66.3172 — 7 km north-northeast of Brenas. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.1 earthquake 15 km north-northeast of here on 14 October 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Campanilla (16 km south-southeast), Candelaria Arenas (17 km southeast), Bayamón (21 km southeast) and Cataño (27 km east-southeast).

Why the 75 km depth matters

At 75 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 M2.9 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

45 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.7.

103 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 M2.9 event released about 29,512 times less energy than that event.

1596 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 170 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 Brenas?

It measured magnitude 2.9 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.9 earthquake radiates roughly 362 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Brenas?

The focus was 75 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Brenas earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 2.9 and a focal depth of 75 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Brenas happen?

19 August 2026 at 11:16 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

45 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.7.

How often do earthquakes happen near Brenas?

103 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 M2.9 event released about 29,512 times less energy than that event.