November 3, 1988 Earthquake: Catano, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Catano, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories on November 3, 1988 at 19:42:18 UTC, 33 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 3, 1988
- Time
- 19:42:18 UTC
- Place
- Catano, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 5 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 19.080° N, 67.256° W
- Country
- US Territories
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Minor damage at Catana, Puerto Rico. Felt strongly along the western coast of Puerto Rico; felt throughout the island. Felt (V) at Sabana de la Mar and (III) at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- August 4, 1946, Northeastern Coast, Dominican Republic
- October 11, 1918, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- January 7, 2020, Ponce,san Juan, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- July 29, 1943, San Juan, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- January 13, 2014, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- October 25, 1918, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- May 16, 2010, Lares, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- April 16, 1844, San Juan, St Thomas, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- April 24, 1916, Santo Dominigo, Dominican Republic
- 1717, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- May 2, 1787, Arecibo,mayaguez,san Juan,caguas, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- December 9, 1875, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- May 2, 2020, Ponce, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- November 12, 1918, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- May 10, 1787, Ponce,san Juan, Puerto Rico, US Territories
More
Significant earthquakes of 1988The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1988Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5175.