QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1md

Earthquake near Indios, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Indios in the 24 hours to 12:55 pm AST (16:55 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 3.1 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) south of Indios, PR, at 12:21 am AST on 3 January 2020 (04:21 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico

23 km (14 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

12:21 am AST, Jan 3, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 1,200 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Indios Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 13 kmGuánica Municipio 14 kmPeñuelas Municipio 18 kmYauco Municipio 22 kmPonce Municipio 25 kmSabana Grande Municipio 26 kmLajas Municipio 26 kmAdjuntas Municipio 33 kmSan Germán Municipio 34 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
12:21 am AST on 3 January 2020 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) south of Indios, PR · earthquakes near Indios
Magnitude
M 3.1 (md)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
10 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 13 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2426 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 39 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Indios, 12 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Guayanilla 15 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 15 km, intensity III · Tallaboa 15 km, intensity III · Yauco 17 km, intensity III · Tallaboa Alta 21 km, intensity II · Ponce 24 km, intensity II · Adjuntas 32 km, intensity II · San Germán 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,200 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 13,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 9,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,200 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.2× 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 810 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 17.8891, -66.8111. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) N earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande 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. 2.1 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.6 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 0 km NW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 15 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 6 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.9 11 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.2 6 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 12 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 7 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 2 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 12 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 8 km SE 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.