QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.7ml

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the last 24 hours. M 2.3, 6 km (4 mi) W of Tallaboa, at 7:05 pm AST on 12 November 2026 (23:05 UTC); the estimated shaking in Tallaboa was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Tallaboa

This page: a magnitude 4.7 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) south of Tallaboa, PR, at 4:04 pm AST on 8 January 2020 (20:04 UTC), 6.0 km deep. 157 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

13 km (8 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

4:04 pm AST, Jan 8, 2020 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 170 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Peñuelas Municipio 13 kmPonce Municipio 14 kmGuayanilla Municipio 14 kmGuánica Municipio 24 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 24 kmYauco Municipio 25 kmAdjuntas Municipio 30 kmSabana Grande Municipio 32 kmSanta Isabel 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
4:04 pm AST on 8 January 2020 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) south of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 4.7 (ml)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
157 reports · strongest reported intensity VII
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Peñuelas Municipio, 13 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2415 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 Tallaboa, 9 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: Tallaboa 9 km, intensity V · Magas Arriba 13 km, intensity IV · Ponce 14 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 15 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 15 km, intensity IV · Yauco 20 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 28 km, intensity IV · Río Cañas Abajo 28 km, intensity IV. 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 350 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 17.9150, -66.7035. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco 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. 2.4 7 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.7 2 km W of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 9 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 4 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 2 km NW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 3 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 6 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.4 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.2 10 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.6 9 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 0 km WNW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.3 0 km NNW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.4 2 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 2 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.8 4 km SSE of Magas Arriba, 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.