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2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake
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Christmas Eve earthquake in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
May 2025
February 2025
2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake 18.260 N 66.135 W type:event_region:US-PR inline,title Puerto Rico
2010-12-24 23:43:44 https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp000hrud/executive 2010 12 24 19:43:44 w 5.1 l 5.4 102.9 km flip Great Northern Puerto Rico fault zone (GNPRfz) Strike-slip Puerto Rico Limited, localized. VI None
The 2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake, also referred to as the 2010 Christmas Eve earthquake (Spanish: Temblor de Nochebuena de 2010), occurred on December 24 at 7:43 p.m. local time in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico.USGS 2010-12-24 M 5.1 - 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp000hrud/executive live 2021-09-28 earthquake.usgs.gov https://web.archive.org/web/20210906074029/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp000hrud/executive 2021-09-06 It measured 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). The event was the largest in Puerto Rico since May 16th of the same year,USGS M 5.8 - 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp000hctm/executive live 2021-09-28 earthquake.usgs.gov https://web.archive.org/web/20210928201830/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp000hctm/executive 2021-09-28 and the largest to impact the San Juan metropolitan area since 1975.USGS M 5.0 - 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp0000bmg/executive live 2021-09-28 earthquake.usgs.gov https://web.archive.org/web/20210928201828/https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usp0000bmg/executive 2021-09-28 The earthquake was felt throughout the island of Puerto Rico, the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, the American and British Virgin Islands, and even in the Dominican Republic across the Mona Passage.
Earthquake
left|thumb|USGS ShakeMap of the 2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake.
The shock originated in the Great Northern Puerto Rico fault zone (GNPRfz) in the central eastern mountainous region of the island between the Juan Asencio and Sonadora barrios of Aguas Buenas, about 7 miles (11 km) from Caguas and 14 miles (23 km) from San Juan. This fault zone is located in the boundary between the North American and Caribbean plate tectonics, on a complex geologic zone with both subduction and strike faults. It was initially reported as measuring 5.4 on the Richter magnitude scale. The main shock was followed by two aftershocks (4.8 and 4.7) about 30 minutes after.Ocasio Jennifer A. Marcial Puerto Rico siente fuertes terremotos en la víspera de Navidad https://www.orlandosentinel.com/espanol/os-es-puerto-rico-temblores-reportados-vispera-navidad-20201224-2lclc4q2jnfotc5kzzekd4q32m-story.html 2021-09-28 orlandosentinel.com Given its moderate size and its epicenter being located on land, the earthquake did not cause any tsunami. The strongest shaking was felt in the municipalities of Aguas Buenas, Bayamón, San Lorenzo and Caguas, and moderate to strong shaking was felt throughout the San Juan metropolitan area. There were more than 4,000 initial entries on the USGS and the Puerto Rico Seismic Network "Did you feel it? reports".INFORME ESPECIAL SISMO DEL 24 de diciembre de 2010 http://redsismica.uprm.edu/Spanish/informacion/comunicados/Informe_AguasBuenasM5.4_2010_F.pdf live Puerto Rico Seismic Network https://web.archive.org/web/20110313080751/http://redsismica.uprm.edu:80/Spanish/informacion/comunicados/Informe_AguasBuenasM5.4_2010_F.pdf 2011-03-13
The earthquake was felt by most due to its epicenter on land close to some of the major urban areas of Puerto Rico and the fact that it hit during Christmas Eve celebrations when people are usually gathered in large family groups, often indoors or attending church services.2011-12-25 A recordar el temblor de Nochebuena https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/a-recordar-el-temblor-de-nochebuena/ 2021-09-28 El Nuevo Día es There were more than 50 emergency calls in Bayamón and Guaynabo.2010-12-25 Temblor de 5.4 grados Richter se siente en casi toda la Isla https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/notas/temblor-de-54-grados-richter-se-siente-en-casi-toda-la-isla/ 2021-09-28 Primera Hora es
Damage
The earthquake was widely felt throughout Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. There were initial reports of limited localized damages throughout the island, particularly in the municipalities of Adjuntas, Aguas Buenas, Arecibo, Arroyo, Ceiba, Coamo, Fajardo, Humacao, Juncos, Las Marías, Las Piedras, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Patillas, Salinas and San Lorenzo. There were reports of power outages in Aguas Buenas and Caguas. There were no deaths or major damages and there were no reports of life-threatening injuries.A recordar el temblor de Nochebuena https://www.pressreader.com/puerto-rico/el-nuevo-dia1/20111224/287019781073975 2021-09-28 PressReader
See also
List of earthquakes in 2010
List of earthquakes in Puerto Rico
2010 Moca earthquake
1918 Puerto Rico earthquake
References
External links
M 5.1 - 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico - USGS (English)
Informe especial de la Red Sismica de Puerto Rico - RSPR (Spanish)
Category:2010 earthquakes
Category:2010 in Puerto Rico
Category:2010 natural disasters in the United States
Category:December 2010 in the United States
Category:Earthquakes in Puerto Rico
Category:Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico