QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3md

Earthquake near Potala Pastillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Potala Pastillo in the 24 hours to 5:31 pm AST (21:31 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 10:09 am AST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) south-southwest of Potala Pastillo, PR, at 9:16 am AST on 1 January 2020 (13:16 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 23 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico

24 km (15 mi) SSE of Ponce, PR

9:16 am AST, Jan 1, 2020 · · 14 km deep · released about 74 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ponce Municipio 23 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 24 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 26 kmPeñuelas Municipio 31 kmGuayanilla Municipio 34 kmSalinas Municipio 38 kmVillalba Municipio 39 kmGuánica Municipio 41 kmCoamo Municipio 41 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
9:16 am AST on 1 January 2020 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) south-southwest of Potala Pastillo, PR · earthquakes near Potala Pastillo
Magnitude
M 2.3 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ponce Municipio, 23 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2502 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Potala Pastillo, 23 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: Ponce, Capitanejo, Playita Cortada, Aguilita, Santa Isabel, Tallaboa.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 74 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 5.8 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 140,000× 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 74 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 5.0 on 2019-12-29 — about 13,000 times the energy of this one.

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 17.7943, -66.5703. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ponce Municipio, PR 23 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) NNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) NW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) ENE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 8 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 8 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 8 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.5 12 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.5 2 km NNE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 4 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 6 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.2 6 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 2 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 6 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 5 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.7 4 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 Puerto Rico region
  14. 1.7 3 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 6 km SSE of Guánica, 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.