QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.9ml

Earthquake near Maria Antonia, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Maria Antonia in the 24 hours to 10:08 am AST (14:08 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 11 km (7 mi) ENE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Maria Antonia

This page: a magnitude 4.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south of Maria Antonia, PR, at 3:59 am AST on 12 January 2020 (07:59 UTC), 8.0 km deep. 132 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km S of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico

28 km (18 mi) W of Ponce, PR

3:59 am AST, Jan 12, 2020 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 340 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Maria Antonia Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 4 kmGuayanilla Municipio 11 kmYauco Municipio 15 kmSabana Grande Municipio 16 kmLajas Municipio 16 kmPeñuelas Municipio 19 kmSan Germán Municipio 23 kmMaricao Municipio 25 kmAdjuntas Municipio 29 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
3:59 am AST on 12 January 2020 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south of Maria Antonia, PR · earthquakes near Maria Antonia
Magnitude
M 4.9 (ml)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
132 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 4 km WSW
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 181 km (112 mi) from the epicentre. In Maria Antonia, 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: Yauco 10 km, intensity V · Guayanilla 12 km, intensity V · Magas Arriba 14 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 19 km, intensity IV · San Germán 22 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 22 km, intensity IV · Ponce 28 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 29 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 340 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 500× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.9 about 340 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 710× 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 180 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 17.9556, -66.8865. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) WSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) W earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Peñuelas 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. 2.8 11 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.9 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 3 km E of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 11 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.4 11 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  8. 2.2 3 km W of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 5 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 2 km SE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 7 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 13 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.1 2 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.6 7 km S of Indios, 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.