The 2010 Moca earthquake, also referred to as the 2010 Puerto Rico earthquake ( Spanish: ''temblor de Puerto Rico de 2010''), occurred on May 16 at 1:16 a.m. local time in Moca, Puerto Rico. The earthquake measured 5.8 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (''Strong''). This was the largest earthquake to strike Puerto Rico since the 1943 Puerto Rico earthquake which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. This was also the first moderate to major earthquake in recorded history to originate on land in Puerto Rico, as earthquakes in the region usually have their epicenter in the ocean;

another earthquake ''Another Earthquake!'' is the fourth studio album by American teen pop singer Aaron Carter, released on September 3, 2002. The album made its chart debut at number 18 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 (with 41,000 units sold), but fell to number 41 ...

with an epicenter on land (in

Aguas Buenas Aguas Buenas, (, ), popularly known as "''La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras''" or "''The City of Clear Waters''", is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Cidra, south of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San ...

) would occur later in December of the same year.

Earthquake

The shock originated in or around the Cerro Goden fault zone (CGfz) which partially transverses Puerto Rico diagonally from northwest in Aguadilla and the

Mona Passage The Mona Passage ( es, Canal de la Mona) is a strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Mona Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and is an important shipping route between the Atlantic and the Panama ...

to the southwest in Ponce. The epicenter was located about 4 miles east of Moca Pueblo in the

Rocha Rocha may refer to: * Rocha (surname), a Portuguese surname * Rocha, Moca, Puerto Rico, a barrio in the municipality of Moca, Puerto Rico * Rocha, Rio de Janeiro, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Rocha, Uruguay, capital city of the Rocha ...

barrio of the municipality, about 60 miles west of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. Even if the earthquake was moderate in size it was felt by most, as its epicenter occurred on land. According to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the strongest shaking was felt in Moca, Añasco,

Hormigueros Hormigueros (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the western region of the island, northeast of Cabo Rojo; northwest of San Germán; and south of Mayagüez. Hormigueros is spread over 5 barrios and Hormigueros Pueblo (th ...

, Lares, Ponce and Salinas. Shaking was felt throughout the island of Puerto Rico, the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, the United States Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. At least one aftershock occurred after the main shock measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale. Other smaller earthquakes which were originally reported as aftershocks were in fact unrelated to this event as they occurred in a different fault zone in the Virgin Islands Platform. As the earthquake occurred on land and was smaller than 6.5 in scale it did not present any risk for generating a tsunami.

Damage

Landslides were reported across the mountainous regions of the island, and a major landslide occurred between the municipalities of Lares and

Utuado Utuado () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central mountainous region of the island known as the '' Cordillera Central''. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west ...

which affected Highway

PR-111 Puerto Rico Highway 111 (PR-111) is a highway connecting Aguadilla, Puerto Rico at Puerto Rico Highway 2 and Puerto Rico Highway 115 to Utuado, Puerto Rico at Puerto Rico Highway 140. Route description It is the main highway to Moca and San Seb ...

. There were additional reports of damage in buildings and other structures in the municipalities of Vega Baja and Florida. Cracks also appeared in a few buildings in the towns of Florida, Lares, Moca, and Vega Baja, according to Puerto Rico's emergency management agency. The earthquake caused tall buildings in San Juan to sway and some homes in Utuado were reported to have shifted about four inches off their foundations.

References

{{Reflist Moca earthquake Moca earthquake Moca earthquake Moca earthquake Earthquakes in Puerto Rico Moca, Puerto Rico

Earthquake

Damage

See also

References