QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.7ml

Earthquake near Indios, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Indios in the 24 hours to 1:37 pm AST (17:37 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 3 km (2 mi) SW, at 4:21 am AST on 10 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Indios

This page: a magnitude 4.7 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) south of Indios, PR, at 11:41 pm AST on 2 January 2020 (03:41 UTC), 2.0 km deep. 121 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico

24 km (15 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

11:41 pm AST, Jan 2, 2020 · · 2.0 km deep · released about 170 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Indios Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 12 kmGuayanilla Municipio 12 kmPeñuelas Municipio 17 kmYauco Municipio 21 kmSabana Grande Municipio 24 kmLajas Municipio 24 kmPonce Municipio 26 kmAdjuntas Municipio 32 kmSan Germán Municipio 32 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
11:41 pm AST on 2 January 2020 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) south of Indios, PR · earthquakes near Indios
Magnitude
M 4.7 (ml)
Depth
2.0 km below the surface
Felt
121 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 12 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1331 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 159 km (99 mi) from the epicentre. In Indios, 10 km away, the estimate is intensity V (moderate). 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: Guayanilla 14 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 14 km, intensity IV · Yauco 15 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 16 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 21 km, intensity IV · Ponce 25 km, intensity IV · San Germán 31 km, intensity III · Adjuntas 31 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.7 about 170 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 350× 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 5.0 on 2019-12-29 — about 2.8 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 17.9006, -66.8261. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 12 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 8 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 3 km ENE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 2 km NNW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 13 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 11 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.6 0 km SE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 12 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 11 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.8 6 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 9 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 1 km N of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 0 km WSW of Yauco, 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.