The 1787 Boricua earthquake struck the island of Puerto Rico on May 2. The magnitude of the earthquake was believed to have been around 8.0–8.5, however there is evidence that it was only about 6.9. The epicenter is thought to have been somewhere north of Puerto Rico, probably on the Puerto Rico Trench. Puerto Rican geomorphologist José Molinelli considers it "the strongest" in the seismic history of the country.