May 16, 2010 Earthquake: Lares, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, US Territories
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Lares, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, US Territories on May 16, 2010 at 05:16:10 UTC, 113 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
- May 16, 2010
- Time
- 05:16:10 UTC
- Place
- Lares, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- Magnitude
- 5.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 113 km (70 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 18.400° N, 67.070° W
- Country
- US Territories
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50) with its tsunami and other effects
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 to homes at Lares and Vega Baja. A landslide was reported at Utuado. Felt (V) at Adjuntas, Aguada, Anasco, Barranquitas, Jayuya, Lares, Las Marias, Maricao, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Orocovis, Ponce, San German, San Sebastian, Utuado and Villalba. Felt strongly throughout Puerto Rico. Felt (IV) at Otra Banda and (III) in much of eastern
Dominican Republic, including Santo Domingo. Also felt in the Virgin Islands. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 11, 1918, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- January 7, 2020, Ponce,san Juan, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- October 25, 1918, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- April 16, 1844, San Juan, St Thomas, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- July 29, 1943, San Juan, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- May 2, 2020, Ponce, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- 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
- January 13, 2014, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- November 3, 1988, Catano, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- May 10, 1787, Ponce,san Juan, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- April 24, 1916, Santo Dominigo, Dominican Republic
- November 12, 1918, Puerto Rico, US Territories
- November 1, 1989, Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, US Territories
More
Significant earthquakes of 2010The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2010Recent 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 9514.