QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4md

Earthquake near Guánica, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Guánica in the 24 hours to 12:11 pm AST (16:11 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 13 km (8 mi) ENE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Guánica

This page: a magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) south-southeast of Guánica, PR, at 8:37 am AST on 14 January 2020 (12:37 UTC), 10 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico

30 km (18 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

8:37 am AST, Jan 14, 2020 · · 10 km deep · released about 2 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Guánica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 11 kmGuayanilla Municipio 17 kmLajas Municipio 22 kmPeñuelas Municipio 23 kmYauco Municipio 25 kmSabana Grande Municipio 26 kmPonce Municipio 31 kmSan Germán Municipio 33 kmMaricao Municipio 35 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
8:37 am AST on 14 January 2020 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) south-southeast of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 3.4 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 11 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2414 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 57 km (35 mi) from the epicentre. In Guánica, 13 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 19 km, intensity III · Yauco 19 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 20 km, intensity III · Tallaboa 21 km, intensity III · Tallaboa Alta 27 km, intensity II · Ponce 30 km, intensity II · San Germán 31 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 86,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 3,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,700× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 2 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 4.1× 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 31,000 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 17.8640, -66.8653. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco 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. 2.3 15 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 4.3 13 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 18 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 10 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 19 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 15 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 10 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 4 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 5 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 17 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.3 20 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.0 2 km SW 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.