QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1Md

Earthquake near Guánica, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Guánica in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 7 km (4 mi) ENE of Guánica, at 4:14 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (20:14 UTC); the estimated shaking in Guánica was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Guánica

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Guánica, PR, at 7:47 pm AST on 20 March 2017 (23:47 UTC), 40 km deep.

USGS: 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico

37 km (23 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 34 km (21 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR

7:47 pm AST, Mar 20, 2017 · · 40 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Guánica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 5 kmLajas Municipio 8 kmSabana Grande Municipio 16 kmSan Germán Municipio 19 kmGuayanilla Municipio 20 kmYauco Municipio 20 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 23 kmMaricao Municipio 26 kmHormigueros Municipio 26 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
7:47 pm AST on 20 March 2017 ()
Where
7 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 2.1 (Md)
Depth
40 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 5 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3523 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Guánica, 7 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Fuig, La Parguera, Maria Antonia, Liborio Negron Torres, Lluveras, Palomas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 50 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 17.9461, -66.9720. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) E earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.7 1 km ENE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 2 km WSW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 3 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 9 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 9 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.6 3 km SW of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 1 km NW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 19 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 5 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km ESE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 2 km SE of Sabana Eneas, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 3 km SSE of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 0 km NNE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 11 km W of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.