QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Guayanilla, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Guayanilla in the 24 hours to 12:12 pm AST (16:12 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, in Guayanilla, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Guayanilla

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) north-northwest of Guayanilla, PR, at 7:31 pm AST on 26 December 2019 (23:31 UTC), 74 km deep.

USGS: 2 km NNW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico

19 km (12 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR

7:31 pm AST, Dec 26, 2019 · · 74 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Guayanilla Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 4 kmYauco Municipio 8 kmPeñuelas Municipio 8 kmGuánica Municipio 16 kmSabana Grande Municipio 16 kmAdjuntas Municipio 17 kmMaricao Municipio 21 kmPonce Municipio 21 kmLajas 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
7:31 pm AST on 26 December 2019 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) north-northwest of Guayanilla, PR · earthquakes near Guayanilla
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
74 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 4 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2511 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 Guayanilla, 2 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Magas Arriba, Yauco, Indios, Santo Domingo, Palomas, Peñuelas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 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 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 49 km NW 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 18.0373, -66.8030. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) S earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) E earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) SW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 19 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.8 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 9 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.4 5 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.6 3 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.6 8 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 12 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 5 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 23 km SSW of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.6 1 km WNW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 Puerto Rico region
  14. 4.7 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, 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.