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 to the southwest in Ponce.

According to the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, the strongest shaking was felt in Moca, Añasco, Hormigueros, Lares, Ponce and Salinas.

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.

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.