Geology of Puerto Rico

Most of the caverns and karst topography on the island occurs in the northern Oligocene to recent carbonates.

The oldest rocks are approximately 190 million years old (Jurassic) and are located at Sierra Bermeja in the southwest part of the island.

These seismic events, along with landslides, represent some of the most dangerous geologic hazards in the island and in the northeastern Caribbean.

The largest, most recent major earthquake occurred on January 7th, 2020 and had an estimated magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale.

This subduction zone is responsible for the volcanism of the West Indies to the southeast of Puerto Rico.