QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3ml

Earthquake near La Parguera, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in La Parguera in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 13 km (8 mi) ESE of La Parguera, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in La Parguera was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near La Parguera

This page: a magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south-southeast of La Parguera, PR, at 10:48 am AST on 14 January 2020 (14:48 UTC), 6.0 km deep. 45 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico

43 km (26 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 32 km (20 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR

10:48 am AST, Jan 14, 2020 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 43 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near La Parguera Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lajas Municipio 5 kmGuánica Municipio 10 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 18 kmSabana Grande Municipio 19 kmSan Germán Municipio 20 kmYauco Municipio 24 kmHormigueros Municipio 25 kmGuayanilla Municipio 25 kmMaricao Municipio 28 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
10:48 am AST on 14 January 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) south-southeast of La Parguera, PR · earthquakes near La Parguera
Magnitude
M 4.3 (ml)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
45 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Lajas Municipio, 5 km NNW
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 121 km (75 mi) from the epicentre. In La Parguera, 5 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: San Germán 17 km, intensity IV · Pole Ojea 18 km, intensity IV · Yauco 21 km, intensity III · Puerto Real 24 km, intensity III · Guayanilla 26 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 28 km, intensity III · Mayagüez 32 km, intensity III · Tallaboa 33 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.3 about 43 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 89× 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 1,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 47 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 46 km NW of this epicentre

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 17.9331, -67.0203. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lajas Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) E earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 19 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) N earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NE 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. 3.0 16 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 1 km NNE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 6 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.5 22 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.1 16 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 14 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 12 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 11 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 2 km NNW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 19 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.7 18 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.8 12 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.1 17 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 15 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 4.3 13 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.