QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2ml

Earthquake near Indios, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Indios in the 24 hours to 8:28 am AST (12:28 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 4.2 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southwest of Indios, PR, at 11:41 am AST on 11 January 2020 (15:41 UTC), 9.0 km deep. 14 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico

23 km (14 mi) W of Ponce, PR

11:41 am AST, Jan 11, 2020 · · 9.0 km deep · released about 30 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Indios Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 6 kmGuánica Municipio 9 kmYauco Municipio 13 kmPeñuelas Municipio 13 kmSabana Grande Municipio 17 kmLajas Municipio 22 kmPonce Municipio 25 kmMaricao Municipio 25 kmAdjuntas Municipio 25 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 am AST on 11 January 2020 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southwest of Indios, PR · earthquakes near Indios
Magnitude
M 4.2 (ml)
Depth
9.0 km below the surface
Felt
14 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 6 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2414 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 112 km (70 mi) from the epicentre. In Indios, 3 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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 7 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 9 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 13 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 17 km, intensity III · Ponce 23 km, intensity III · Adjuntas 25 km, intensity III · San Germán 25 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 30 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 63× 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 2,000 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 17.9700, -66.8370. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) WSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 22 km (13 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. 2.7 11 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 6 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 6 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.5 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 19 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 1 km WSW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.0 7 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.7 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 19 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.7 2 km SSE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 4 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.8 11 km SSE 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.