QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Capitanejo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Capitanejo in the 24 hours to 12:11 pm AST (16:11 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 35 km (22 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Capitanejo

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Capitanejo, PR, at 12:48 am AST on 27 September 2017 (04:48 UTC), 16 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SW of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico

7 km (4 mi) ESE of Ponce, PR

12:48 am AST, Sep 27, 2017 · · 16 km deep · released about 72 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Capitanejo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ponce Municipio 5 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 8 kmPeñuelas Municipio 18 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 19 kmVillalba Municipio 19 kmGuayanilla Municipio 25 kmJayuya Municipio 26 kmCoamo Municipio 26 kmOrocovis Municipio 30 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
12:48 am AST on 27 September 2017 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) southwest of Capitanejo, PR · earthquakes near Capitanejo
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ponce Municipio, 5 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3246 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Capitanejo, 5 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.

Likely felt in: Ponce 7 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 72 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 210,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 150,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 13× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 72 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 17.9820, -66.5650. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ponce Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) WNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) E earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) W earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 1 km SSW of Guayabal, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.8 5 km NNE of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 13 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 5 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 6 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 5 km SW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 19 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 2 km ESE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 4 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 2 km NNW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 4 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 5 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 4 km SSE of Cayey, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 3 km NNW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 1 km E of Capitanejo, 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.