Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Earthquakes | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Terremotos
January 2020 Aftershock Forecast Report
Informe del pronóstico de la réplica de enero 2020
USGS provides real-time earthquake data, information on historic earthquakes, resources for the most significant earthquakes, and seismicity and ground motions to support future updates to the seismic hazard models for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our seismic research can help establish better building regulations that mitigate earthquake risks and improve public safety. The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program has collaborated with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network and the Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program to provide staff training and assistance with restoration efforts to the network after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Learn more about the seismic network, latest earthquakes, aftershock forecasts, and other earthquake publications on this page.
El USGS proporciona datos sobre terremotos en tiempo real, información sobre terremotos históricos, y recursos sobre los terremotos más importantes, sismicidad y movimientos del suelo para respaldar las futuras actualizaciones de los modelos de peligrosidad sísmica para Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos. Nuestras investigaciones sísmicas pueden ser utilizadas para establecer mejores normas de construcción que mitiguen los riesgos de los terremotos y mejoren la seguridad pública. El Programa de Riesgos por Terremotos (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program) ha colaborado con la Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico y el Programa de Movimiento Fuerte de Puerto Rico para entrenar al personal y asistir con los esfuerzos de restauración de la red sísmica luego del huracán María en 2017. Conozca más sobre la red sísmica, los terremotos más recientes, los pronósticos de réplicas y otras publicaciones relacionadas con terremotos en esta página.
Latest Earthquakes | Terremotos más recientes
The USGS Latest Earthquakes tool is part of the National Earthquake Information Center, whose mission is to provide a rapid and accurate data about significant earthquakes worldwide. Data from the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN) and the Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program (PRSMP), both of which operate seismic stations across Puerto Rico, feed into this tool to provide near real-time maps of ground motion. After a significant earthquake occurs, the PRSN communicates the information to other Caribbean nations. Visit the USGS Latest Earthquakes interactive map tool zoomed into the Puerto Rico region here.
La herramienta Latest Earthquakes (Terremotos más recientes) del USGS es parte del Centro Nacional de Información sobre Terremotos (National Earthquake Information Center), cuya misión es brindar datos rápidos y precisos sobre los terremotos más significativos de todo el mundo. Los datos de la Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico (PRSN, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Programa de Movimiento Fuerte de Puerto Rico (PRSMP, por sus siglas en inglés), que operan estaciones sísmicas en todo Puerto Rico, alimentan esta herramienta para proporcionar mapas de los movimientos del suelo en tiempo casi real. Luego de que ocurre un terremoto significativo, PRSN comunica la información a otras naciones caribeñas. Visite la herramienta interactiva de Latest Earthquakes (Terremotos más recientes) del USGS aqui.
Puerto Rico Faults | Las fallas de Puerto Rico
USGS researchers have worked to identify and map faults in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to better estimate the location and magnitude of potential earthquakes. Learn more about seismic faults.
Algunos investigadores del USGS han trabajado para identificar fallas y crear un mapa de fallas de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, a fin de estimar mejor la ubicación y magnitud de los posibles terremotos. Obtenga más información sobre las fallas sísmicas.
January 2020 Seismic Sequence | La secuencia sísmica de enero de 2020
After the earthquake sequence in January 2020 off the Southwest coast of Puerto Rico, additional seismic monitoring stations were installed by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program and USGS to provide reliable data about the earthquake's strength, estimate potential damages, and to provide high-quality data to inform aftershock forecasts. Visit this website for the January 2020 earthquake sequence, containing daily news, and other information.
Tras la secuencia del terremoto en enero de 2020 en la costa suroeste de Puerto Rico, fueron instaladas nuevas estaciones de vigilancia sísmica por la Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico, el Programa de Movimiento Fuerte de Puerto Rico y USGS para brindar datos fiables sobre la fuerza de los terremotos, estimar los daños y compartir datos de alta calidad para basar los pronósticos de las réplicas. Visite el sitio web de la secuencia del terremoto de enero de 2020 que contiene noticias diarias y más información.
Learn more about USGS Puerto Rico hazards research and tools. | Obtenga más información sobre las herramientas e investigaciones del USGS acerca de riesgos en Puerto Rico.
Science
The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program monitors and reports on earthquakes, assesses earthquake impacts and hazards, and conducts targeted research on the causes and effects of earthquakes. Learn more about USGS earthquake research in Puerto Rico in the links below.
Ciencias
El Programa de Riesgos de Terremotos del USGS (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program) vigila y reporta los terremotos, evalúa el impacto y riesgos de los terremotos y lleva a cabo investigaciones con objetivos definidos sobre las causas y efectos de los terremotos. Conozca más sobre las investigaciones de terremotos en Puerto Rico en los siguientes enlaces.
Puerto Rico Natural Hazards | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico
Explore USGS data releases about earthquake research for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Explore las cesiones de datos del USGS sobre investigaciones de sismos para Puerto Rico el Caribe.
Explore media products on USGS earthquake research for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Explore los productos multimedia sobre las investigaciones de terremotos del USGS para Puerto Rico y el Caribe.
Explore scientific publications by USGS researchers about earthquake hazards, seismic monitoring, faults and seafloor mapping for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Explore las publicaciones científicas por investigadores del USGS sobre los riesgos de terremotos, monitoreo de sismos, fallas y mapas del suelo marino para Puerto Rico y el Caribe.
Submarine landslide as the source for the October 11, 1918 Mona Passage tsunami: Observations and modeling
Tsunami probability in the Caribbean Region
We calculated tsunami runup probability (in excess of 0.5 m) at coastal sites throughout the Caribbean region. We applied a Poissonian probability model because of the variety of uncorrelated tsunami sources in the region. Coastlines were discretized into 20 km by 20 km cells, and the mean tsunami runup rate was determined for each cell. The remarkable ???500-year empirical record compiled by O'Lo
Coarse-clast ridge complexes of the Caribbean: A preliminary basis for distinguishing tsunami and storm-wave origins
Coastal gravel-ridge complexes deposited on islands in the Caribbean Sea are recorders of past extreme-wave events that could be associated with either tsunamis or hurricanes. The ridge complexes of Bonaire, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (Isla de Mona), and Guadeloupe consist of polymodal clasts ranging in size from sand to coarse boulders that are derived from the adjacent coral reefs or subjacent rock pl
Near-Surface Shear Wave Velocity Versus Depth Profiles, VS30, and NEHRP Classifications for 27 Sites in Puerto Rico
In 2004 and 2005 the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN), Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program (PRSMP) and the Geology Department at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey to study near-surface shear-wave (Vs) and compressional-wave (Vp) velocities in and around major urban areas of Puerto Rico. Using noninvasive seismic refraction-reflection profili
Submarine slides north of Puerto Rico and their tsunami potential
New multibeam bathymetry of the entire Puerto Rico trench reveals numerous retrograde slope failures at various scales at the edge of the carbonate platform north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The slumped material comprises carbonate blocks, which fail, at least in initial stages, as a coherent rock mass. This, combined with the fact that the edge of the carbonate platform is steeper than
Survey explores active tectonics in northeastern Caribbean
There is renewed interest in studying the active and complex northeastern Caribbean plate boundary to better understand subduction zone processes and for earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments [e.g., ten Brink and Lin, 2004; ten Brink et al., 2004; Grindlay et al., 2005]. To study the active tectonics of this plate boundary, the GEOPRICO-DO (Geological, Puerto Rico-Dominican) marine geophysical
Project PROBE Leg II: Final report and archive of swath bathymetric sonar, CTD/XBT and GPS navigation data collected during USGS Cruise 03008 (NOAA Cruise RB0303) Puerto Rico Trench 18 February - 7 March, 2003
No abstract available.
Project PROBE Leg I - Report and archive of multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter , CTD/XBT and GPS navigation data collected during USGS Cruise 02051 (NOAA Cruise RB0208) Puerto Rico Trench September 24, 2002 to September 30, 2002
On September 24-30, 2002, six days of scientific surveying to map a section of the Puerto Rico Trench (PRT) took place aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Ron Brown. The cruise was funded by NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration. Multibeam bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data were collected over an area of about 25,000 sq. km of the Puerto Rico trench and its vi
Vertical motions of the Puerto Rico Trench and Puerto Rico and their cause
The Puerto Rico trench exhibits great water depth, an extremely low gravity anomaly, and a tilted carbonate platform between (reconstructed) elevations of +1300 m and -4000 m. I argue that these features are manifestations of large vertical movements of a segment of the Puerto Rico trench, its forearc, and the island of Puerto Rico that took place 3.3 m.y. ago over a time period as short as 14-40
New seafloor map of the Puerto Rico Trench helps assess earthquake and tsunami hazards
Stress interaction between subduction earthquakes and forearc strike-slip faults: Modeling and application to the northern Caribbean plate boundary
Strike-slip faults in the forearc region of a subduction zone often present significant seismic hazard because of their proximity to population centers. We explore the interaction between thrust events on the subduction interface and strike-slip faults within the forearc region using three-dimensional models of static Coulomb stress change. Model results reveal that subduction earthquakes with sli
The nature of the crust under Cayman Trough from gravity
Considerable crustal thickness variations are inferred along Cayman Trough, a slow-spreading ocean basin in the Caribbean Sea, from modeling of the gravity field. The crust to a distance of 50 km from the spreading center is only 2–3 km thick in agreement with dredge and dive results. Crustal thickness increases to ∼5.5 km at distances between 100 and 430 km west of the spreading center and to 3.5
Explore USGS software related to earthquake hazards available for Puerto Rico.
Explore software del USGS disponibles para Puerto Rico con relación a riesgos por terremotos.
Read research news highlights about USGS earthquake research in Puerto Rico.
Lea las noticias más importantes sobre las investigaciones del USGS en Puerto Rico con relación a terremotos.
USGS provides real-time earthquake data, information on historic earthquakes, resources for the most significant earthquakes, and seismicity and ground motions to support future updates to the seismic hazard models for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our seismic research can help establish better building regulations that mitigate earthquake risks and improve public safety. The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program has collaborated with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network and the Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program to provide staff training and assistance with restoration efforts to the network after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Learn more about the seismic network, latest earthquakes, aftershock forecasts, and other earthquake publications on this page.
El USGS proporciona datos sobre terremotos en tiempo real, información sobre terremotos históricos, y recursos sobre los terremotos más importantes, sismicidad y movimientos del suelo para respaldar las futuras actualizaciones de los modelos de peligrosidad sísmica para Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos. Nuestras investigaciones sísmicas pueden ser utilizadas para establecer mejores normas de construcción que mitiguen los riesgos de los terremotos y mejoren la seguridad pública. El Programa de Riesgos por Terremotos (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program) ha colaborado con la Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico y el Programa de Movimiento Fuerte de Puerto Rico para entrenar al personal y asistir con los esfuerzos de restauración de la red sísmica luego del huracán María en 2017. Conozca más sobre la red sísmica, los terremotos más recientes, los pronósticos de réplicas y otras publicaciones relacionadas con terremotos en esta página.
Latest Earthquakes | Terremotos más recientes
The USGS Latest Earthquakes tool is part of the National Earthquake Information Center, whose mission is to provide a rapid and accurate data about significant earthquakes worldwide. Data from the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN) and the Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program (PRSMP), both of which operate seismic stations across Puerto Rico, feed into this tool to provide near real-time maps of ground motion. After a significant earthquake occurs, the PRSN communicates the information to other Caribbean nations. Visit the USGS Latest Earthquakes interactive map tool zoomed into the Puerto Rico region here.
La herramienta Latest Earthquakes (Terremotos más recientes) del USGS es parte del Centro Nacional de Información sobre Terremotos (National Earthquake Information Center), cuya misión es brindar datos rápidos y precisos sobre los terremotos más significativos de todo el mundo. Los datos de la Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico (PRSN, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Programa de Movimiento Fuerte de Puerto Rico (PRSMP, por sus siglas en inglés), que operan estaciones sísmicas en todo Puerto Rico, alimentan esta herramienta para proporcionar mapas de los movimientos del suelo en tiempo casi real. Luego de que ocurre un terremoto significativo, PRSN comunica la información a otras naciones caribeñas. Visite la herramienta interactiva de Latest Earthquakes (Terremotos más recientes) del USGS aqui.
Puerto Rico Faults | Las fallas de Puerto Rico
USGS researchers have worked to identify and map faults in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to better estimate the location and magnitude of potential earthquakes. Learn more about seismic faults.
Algunos investigadores del USGS han trabajado para identificar fallas y crear un mapa de fallas de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, a fin de estimar mejor la ubicación y magnitud de los posibles terremotos. Obtenga más información sobre las fallas sísmicas.
January 2020 Seismic Sequence | La secuencia sísmica de enero de 2020
After the earthquake sequence in January 2020 off the Southwest coast of Puerto Rico, additional seismic monitoring stations were installed by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program and USGS to provide reliable data about the earthquake's strength, estimate potential damages, and to provide high-quality data to inform aftershock forecasts. Visit this website for the January 2020 earthquake sequence, containing daily news, and other information.
Tras la secuencia del terremoto en enero de 2020 en la costa suroeste de Puerto Rico, fueron instaladas nuevas estaciones de vigilancia sísmica por la Red Sísmica de Puerto Rico, el Programa de Movimiento Fuerte de Puerto Rico y USGS para brindar datos fiables sobre la fuerza de los terremotos, estimar los daños y compartir datos de alta calidad para basar los pronósticos de las réplicas. Visite el sitio web de la secuencia del terremoto de enero de 2020 que contiene noticias diarias y más información.
Learn more about USGS Puerto Rico hazards research and tools. | Obtenga más información sobre las herramientas e investigaciones del USGS acerca de riesgos en Puerto Rico.
Science
The USGS Earthquake Hazards Program monitors and reports on earthquakes, assesses earthquake impacts and hazards, and conducts targeted research on the causes and effects of earthquakes. Learn more about USGS earthquake research in Puerto Rico in the links below.
Ciencias
El Programa de Riesgos de Terremotos del USGS (USGS Earthquake Hazards Program) vigila y reporta los terremotos, evalúa el impacto y riesgos de los terremotos y lleva a cabo investigaciones con objetivos definidos sobre las causas y efectos de los terremotos. Conozca más sobre las investigaciones de terremotos en Puerto Rico en los siguientes enlaces.
Puerto Rico Natural Hazards | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico
Explore USGS data releases about earthquake research for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Explore las cesiones de datos del USGS sobre investigaciones de sismos para Puerto Rico el Caribe.
Explore media products on USGS earthquake research for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Explore los productos multimedia sobre las investigaciones de terremotos del USGS para Puerto Rico y el Caribe.
Explore scientific publications by USGS researchers about earthquake hazards, seismic monitoring, faults and seafloor mapping for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Explore las publicaciones científicas por investigadores del USGS sobre los riesgos de terremotos, monitoreo de sismos, fallas y mapas del suelo marino para Puerto Rico y el Caribe.
Submarine landslide as the source for the October 11, 1918 Mona Passage tsunami: Observations and modeling
Tsunami probability in the Caribbean Region
We calculated tsunami runup probability (in excess of 0.5 m) at coastal sites throughout the Caribbean region. We applied a Poissonian probability model because of the variety of uncorrelated tsunami sources in the region. Coastlines were discretized into 20 km by 20 km cells, and the mean tsunami runup rate was determined for each cell. The remarkable ???500-year empirical record compiled by O'Lo
Coarse-clast ridge complexes of the Caribbean: A preliminary basis for distinguishing tsunami and storm-wave origins
Coastal gravel-ridge complexes deposited on islands in the Caribbean Sea are recorders of past extreme-wave events that could be associated with either tsunamis or hurricanes. The ridge complexes of Bonaire, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (Isla de Mona), and Guadeloupe consist of polymodal clasts ranging in size from sand to coarse boulders that are derived from the adjacent coral reefs or subjacent rock pl
Near-Surface Shear Wave Velocity Versus Depth Profiles, VS30, and NEHRP Classifications for 27 Sites in Puerto Rico
In 2004 and 2005 the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN), Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program (PRSMP) and the Geology Department at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey to study near-surface shear-wave (Vs) and compressional-wave (Vp) velocities in and around major urban areas of Puerto Rico. Using noninvasive seismic refraction-reflection profili
Submarine slides north of Puerto Rico and their tsunami potential
New multibeam bathymetry of the entire Puerto Rico trench reveals numerous retrograde slope failures at various scales at the edge of the carbonate platform north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The slumped material comprises carbonate blocks, which fail, at least in initial stages, as a coherent rock mass. This, combined with the fact that the edge of the carbonate platform is steeper than
Survey explores active tectonics in northeastern Caribbean
There is renewed interest in studying the active and complex northeastern Caribbean plate boundary to better understand subduction zone processes and for earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments [e.g., ten Brink and Lin, 2004; ten Brink et al., 2004; Grindlay et al., 2005]. To study the active tectonics of this plate boundary, the GEOPRICO-DO (Geological, Puerto Rico-Dominican) marine geophysical
Project PROBE Leg II: Final report and archive of swath bathymetric sonar, CTD/XBT and GPS navigation data collected during USGS Cruise 03008 (NOAA Cruise RB0303) Puerto Rico Trench 18 February - 7 March, 2003
No abstract available.
Project PROBE Leg I - Report and archive of multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter , CTD/XBT and GPS navigation data collected during USGS Cruise 02051 (NOAA Cruise RB0208) Puerto Rico Trench September 24, 2002 to September 30, 2002
On September 24-30, 2002, six days of scientific surveying to map a section of the Puerto Rico Trench (PRT) took place aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Ron Brown. The cruise was funded by NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration. Multibeam bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data were collected over an area of about 25,000 sq. km of the Puerto Rico trench and its vi
Vertical motions of the Puerto Rico Trench and Puerto Rico and their cause
The Puerto Rico trench exhibits great water depth, an extremely low gravity anomaly, and a tilted carbonate platform between (reconstructed) elevations of +1300 m and -4000 m. I argue that these features are manifestations of large vertical movements of a segment of the Puerto Rico trench, its forearc, and the island of Puerto Rico that took place 3.3 m.y. ago over a time period as short as 14-40
New seafloor map of the Puerto Rico Trench helps assess earthquake and tsunami hazards
Stress interaction between subduction earthquakes and forearc strike-slip faults: Modeling and application to the northern Caribbean plate boundary
Strike-slip faults in the forearc region of a subduction zone often present significant seismic hazard because of their proximity to population centers. We explore the interaction between thrust events on the subduction interface and strike-slip faults within the forearc region using three-dimensional models of static Coulomb stress change. Model results reveal that subduction earthquakes with sli
The nature of the crust under Cayman Trough from gravity
Considerable crustal thickness variations are inferred along Cayman Trough, a slow-spreading ocean basin in the Caribbean Sea, from modeling of the gravity field. The crust to a distance of 50 km from the spreading center is only 2–3 km thick in agreement with dredge and dive results. Crustal thickness increases to ∼5.5 km at distances between 100 and 430 km west of the spreading center and to 3.5
Explore USGS software related to earthquake hazards available for Puerto Rico.
Explore software del USGS disponibles para Puerto Rico con relación a riesgos por terremotos.
Read research news highlights about USGS earthquake research in Puerto Rico.
Lea las noticias más importantes sobre las investigaciones del USGS en Puerto Rico con relación a terremotos.