Locations of multichannel seismic reflection profiles (in black), collected during cruise FA2020-14. The profiles are overlain on colored and shaded multibeam bathymetry, Lidar topography (green and white) and near-shore bathymetry (darker blue), and NOAA coastal relief model (light blue and white).
Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Earthquakes | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Terremotos
Active
By Natural Hazards Mission Area
June 22, 2022
January 2020 Aftershock Forecast Report
Informe del pronóstico de la réplica de enero 2020
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figura 1: Captura de pantalla de la herramienta interactiva Latest Earthquakes (Terremotos más Recientes) en earthquake.usgs.gov.
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figura 2. Mapa de fallas en el Caribe nororiental. Las estrellas rojas con fechas previas al siglo XX muestran el epicentro del terremoto. La estrella roja con una elipse roja muestra la localización general de varios terremotos del siglo XVII con datos escasos. Las estrellas con años correspondientes al siglo XX y XXI son epicentros de terremotos detectados con instrumentos. Los años en los rectángulos blancos al lado de las líneas rojas indican la tasa de recurrencia. Los signos de interrogación rojos indican tasas de recurrencia desconocidas para las respectivas fallas. Obtenga más información sobre esta figura.
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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
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
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
The island of Puerto Rico is subject to numerous threats from natural hazards, including hurricanes, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal and inland flooding, environmental contaminants, and freshwater scarcity, among others. USGS science can help citizens better prepare for, mitigate, and adapt to these hazards. This website compiles USGS resources available for Puerto Rico to provide...
Landslides Triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico Earthquake Sequence
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred near Barrio Indios, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. A study of the triggered landslides is ongoing.
U.S. Seismic Hazard Maps – Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Samoa and the Pacific Islands, and Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
Seismic hazard maps for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Samoa and the Pacific Islands, and Guam.
Significant Earthquakes on a major fault system in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles, 1500–2010: Implications for Seismic Hazard
Earthquakes have been documented in the northeastern Caribbean since the arrival of Columbus to the Americas; written accounts of these felt earthquakes exist in various parts of the world. To better understand the earthquake cycle in the Caribbean, the records of earthquakes in earlier catalogs and historical documents from various archives, which are now available online, were critically...
Caribbean Tsunami and Earthquake Hazards Studies- Models
The Puerto Rico trench exhibits great water depth, extremely low gravity anomaly, and a tilted carbonate platform between (reconstructed) elevations of +1300 m and -4000 m. we suggest 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...
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.
Scientists find signs of undersea faults off SW Puerto Rico
Locations of multichannel seismic reflection profiles (in black), collected during cruise FA2020-14. The profiles are overlain on colored and shaded multibeam bathymetry, Lidar topography (green and white) and near-shore bathymetry (darker blue), and NOAA coastal relief model (light blue and white).
Three scientists launch a "sparker" used in seafloor mapping
USGS research geologist Jason Chaytor (L) and marine technicians Alex Nichols (center) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the “sparker” sound source on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS research geologist Jason Chaytor (L) and marine technicians Alex Nichols (center) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the “sparker” sound source on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
Scientist launches instrument used to map seafloor off Puerto Rico
USGS marine technician Wayne Baldwin prepares to deploy the hydrophone array during a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on board the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS marine technician Wayne Baldwin prepares to deploy the hydrophone array during a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on board the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS marine technicians launch a hydrophone off Puerto Rico seafloor
USGS marine technicians Alex Nichols (L) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the hydrophone array on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS marine technicians Alex Nichols (L) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the hydrophone array on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
Inspecting boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. The boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico was damaged by the quake.
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. The boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico was damaged by the quake.
Landslide triggered by M6.4 earthquake in Puerto Rico
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. Here is an example of a landslide failure along a residential road in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. Here is an example of a landslide failure along a residential road in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Map of the North American - Caribbean tectonic plate boundary
Map of the North American - Caribbean tectonic plate boundary. Colors denote depth below sea level and elevation on land. Bold numbers are the years of moderately large (larger than about M7) historical earthquakes written next to their approximate location. Asterisk - Location of the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Map of the North American - Caribbean tectonic plate boundary. Colors denote depth below sea level and elevation on land. Bold numbers are the years of moderately large (larger than about M7) historical earthquakes written next to their approximate location. Asterisk - Location of the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Shaded relief and combined bathymetry map of Puerto Rico
(Top image) Shaded relief of the new multibeam bathymetry along the Puerto Rico Trench illuminated from the northwest. Thin contours indicate bathymetry at 500-m intervals. (Bottom image) Combined bathymetry map of the multibeam bathymetry data, single-beam bathymetry compilation around Puerto Rico, Lidar data near shore, and topography of Puerto Rico.
(Top image) Shaded relief of the new multibeam bathymetry along the Puerto Rico Trench illuminated from the northwest. Thin contours indicate bathymetry at 500-m intervals. (Bottom image) Combined bathymetry map of the multibeam bathymetry data, single-beam bathymetry compilation around Puerto Rico, Lidar data near shore, and topography of Puerto Rico.
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figura 1: Captura de pantalla de la herramienta interactiva Latest Earthquakes (Terremotos más Recientes) en earthquake.usgs.gov.
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Figura 2. Mapa de fallas en el Caribe nororiental. Las estrellas rojas con fechas previas al siglo XX muestran el epicentro del terremoto. La estrella roja con una elipse roja muestra la localización general de varios terremotos del siglo XVII con datos escasos. Las estrellas con años correspondientes al siglo XX y XXI son epicentros de terremotos detectados con instrumentos. Los años en los rectángulos blancos al lado de las líneas rojas indican la tasa de recurrencia. Los signos de interrogación rojos indican tasas de recurrencia desconocidas para las respectivas fallas. Obtenga más información sobre esta figura.
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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
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
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
The island of Puerto Rico is subject to numerous threats from natural hazards, including hurricanes, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal and inland flooding, environmental contaminants, and freshwater scarcity, among others. USGS science can help citizens better prepare for, mitigate, and adapt to these hazards. This website compiles USGS resources available for Puerto Rico to provide...
Landslides Triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico Earthquake Sequence
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred near Barrio Indios, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. A study of the triggered landslides is ongoing.
U.S. Seismic Hazard Maps – Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Samoa and the Pacific Islands, and Guam and Northern Mariana Islands
Seismic hazard maps for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Samoa and the Pacific Islands, and Guam.
Significant Earthquakes on a major fault system in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Lesser Antilles, 1500–2010: Implications for Seismic Hazard
Earthquakes have been documented in the northeastern Caribbean since the arrival of Columbus to the Americas; written accounts of these felt earthquakes exist in various parts of the world. To better understand the earthquake cycle in the Caribbean, the records of earthquakes in earlier catalogs and historical documents from various archives, which are now available online, were critically...
Caribbean Tsunami and Earthquake Hazards Studies- Models
The Puerto Rico trench exhibits great water depth, extremely low gravity anomaly, and a tilted carbonate platform between (reconstructed) elevations of +1300 m and -4000 m. we suggest 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...
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.
Scientists find signs of undersea faults off SW Puerto Rico
Locations of multichannel seismic reflection profiles (in black), collected during cruise FA2020-14. The profiles are overlain on colored and shaded multibeam bathymetry, Lidar topography (green and white) and near-shore bathymetry (darker blue), and NOAA coastal relief model (light blue and white).
Locations of multichannel seismic reflection profiles (in black), collected during cruise FA2020-14. The profiles are overlain on colored and shaded multibeam bathymetry, Lidar topography (green and white) and near-shore bathymetry (darker blue), and NOAA coastal relief model (light blue and white).
Three scientists launch a "sparker" used in seafloor mapping
USGS research geologist Jason Chaytor (L) and marine technicians Alex Nichols (center) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the “sparker” sound source on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS research geologist Jason Chaytor (L) and marine technicians Alex Nichols (center) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the “sparker” sound source on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
Scientist launches instrument used to map seafloor off Puerto Rico
USGS marine technician Wayne Baldwin prepares to deploy the hydrophone array during a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on board the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS marine technician Wayne Baldwin prepares to deploy the hydrophone array during a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on board the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS marine technicians launch a hydrophone off Puerto Rico seafloor
USGS marine technicians Alex Nichols (L) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the hydrophone array on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
USGS marine technicians Alex Nichols (L) and Eric Moore (R) deploy the hydrophone array on a seismic research cruise off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico aboard the R/V Sultana in March 2020.
Inspecting boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. The boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico was damaged by the quake.
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. The boardwalk in Ponce, Puerto Rico was damaged by the quake.
Landslide triggered by M6.4 earthquake in Puerto Rico
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. Here is an example of a landslide failure along a residential road in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
USGS scientists were deployed to assess land deformation and movement after a large M6.4 earthquake struck Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. Here is an example of a landslide failure along a residential road in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Map of the North American - Caribbean tectonic plate boundary
Map of the North American - Caribbean tectonic plate boundary. Colors denote depth below sea level and elevation on land. Bold numbers are the years of moderately large (larger than about M7) historical earthquakes written next to their approximate location. Asterisk - Location of the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Map of the North American - Caribbean tectonic plate boundary. Colors denote depth below sea level and elevation on land. Bold numbers are the years of moderately large (larger than about M7) historical earthquakes written next to their approximate location. Asterisk - Location of the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
Shaded relief and combined bathymetry map of Puerto Rico
(Top image) Shaded relief of the new multibeam bathymetry along the Puerto Rico Trench illuminated from the northwest. Thin contours indicate bathymetry at 500-m intervals. (Bottom image) Combined bathymetry map of the multibeam bathymetry data, single-beam bathymetry compilation around Puerto Rico, Lidar data near shore, and topography of Puerto Rico.
(Top image) Shaded relief of the new multibeam bathymetry along the Puerto Rico Trench illuminated from the northwest. Thin contours indicate bathymetry at 500-m intervals. (Bottom image) Combined bathymetry map of the multibeam bathymetry data, single-beam bathymetry compilation around Puerto Rico, Lidar data near shore, and topography of Puerto Rico.