QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.6ml

Earthquake near Indios, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Indios in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 3 km (2 mi) W of Indios, at 4:14 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (20:14 UTC); the estimated shaking in Indios was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Indios

This page: a magnitude 4.6 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Indios, PR, at 12:27 pm AST on 7 January 2020 (16:27 UTC), 8.0 km deep. 68 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico

22 km (13 mi) W of Ponce, PR

12:27 pm AST, Jan 7, 2020 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 120 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Indios Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 5 kmGuánica Municipio 10 kmPeñuelas Municipio 12 kmYauco Municipio 14 kmSabana Grande Municipio 19 kmLajas Municipio 23 kmPonce Municipio 24 kmAdjuntas Municipio 25 kmMaricao 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
12:27 pm AST on 7 January 2020 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Indios, PR · earthquakes near Indios
Magnitude
M 4.6 (ml)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
68 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 5 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2426 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 149 km (93 mi) from the epicentre. In Indios, 3 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 7 km, intensity IV · Yauco 8 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 8 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 12 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 16 km, intensity IV · Ponce 22 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 25 km, intensity IV · San Germán 27 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,400× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.6 about 120 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 250× 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 500 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 17.9645, -66.8256. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) W 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. 1.7 2 km N of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  3. 1.9 10 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.1 0 km E of Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 1 km N of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 1 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 5 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 5 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 9 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 7 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 2 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.2 3 km SW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.5 9 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 4 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.7 Puerto Rico region

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.