QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Carrizales, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Carrizales in the 24 hours to 12:56 pm AST (16:56 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 43 km (27 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Carrizales

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Carrizales, PR, at 12:35 am AST on 28 December 2019 (04:35 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 22 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico

76 km (47 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 24 km (15 mi) N of Arecibo, PR

12:35 am AST, Dec 28, 2019 · · 14 km deep · released about 1,700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Carrizales Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hatillo Municipio 27 kmArecibo Municipio 27 kmBarceloneta Municipio 29 kmCamuy Municipio 29 kmQuebradillas Municipio 31 kmManatí Municipio 36 kmIsabela Municipio 37 kmFlorida Municipio 38 kmVega Baja Municipio 43 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
12:35 am AST on 28 December 2019 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Carrizales, PR · earthquakes near Carrizales
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Hatillo Municipio, 27 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2433 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In Carrizales, 22 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: Arecibo 23 km, intensity II · Hatillo 23 km, intensity II · Quebradillas 31 km, intensity II · Barceloneta 32 km, intensity II · Isabela 37 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 9,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,500× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,700 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.7× more

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 4.4 on 2018-12-09 — about 72 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 13 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.7 45 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 48 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km W of this epicentre
  3. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 48 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 21 km SE 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 18.6745, -66.7290. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hatillo Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) SSW earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) SSE earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 29 km (18 mi) SE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 29 km (18 mi) SSW earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) SW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) SE earthquakes near Manatí Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 45 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.3 51 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 53 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.2 53 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.2 5 km SW of Estancias de Florida, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.4 69 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 33 km N of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 19 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 46 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 45 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 19 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 5 km E of Lares, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 7 km WSW of Cayuco, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 15 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.6 59 km N of Hatillo, 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.