QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near La Parguera, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in La Parguera in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 13 km (8 mi) ESE of La Parguera, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in La Parguera was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near La Parguera

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west-northwest of La Parguera, PR, at 4:31 am AST on 11 November 2019 (08:31 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km WNW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico

24 km (15 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR · 117 km (73 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

4:31 am AST, Nov 11, 2019 · · 15 km deep · released about 49 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lajas Municipio 5 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 10 kmSan Germán Municipio 14 kmHormigueros Municipio 16 kmSabana Grande Municipio 18 kmGuánica Municipio 18 kmMaricao Municipio 26 kmYauco Municipio 26 kmLas Marías Municipio 28 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
4:31 am AST on 11 November 2019 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west-northwest of La Parguera, PR · earthquakes near La Parguera
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Lajas Municipio, 5 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2557 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In La Parguera, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Palmarejo, Lajas, Boquerón, Sabana Eneas, San Germán, Monte Grande.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 49 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 5.8 310,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 220,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 49 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.3 on 2019-09-05 — about 1,700 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 45 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 37 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 36 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 17.9938, -67.0853. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lajas Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NNW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 11 km WNW of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 6 km ESE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.5 11 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.6 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.7 7 km SSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 2 km S of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 17 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 12 km NW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 3 km S of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 26 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 12 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 2 km ENE of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 3 km ESE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 23 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 10 km W of Rincón, 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.