Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.3ml
Earthquake near Magas Arriba, PR
Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Magas Arriba in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) WSW of Magas Arriba, at 4:14 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (20:14 UTC); the estimated shaking in Magas Arriba was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Magas Arriba
This page: a magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south of Magas Arriba, PR, at 6:02 pm AST on 17 January 2020 (22:02 UTC), 9.0 km deep. 119 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 5 km S of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
15 km (10 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR
- When
- 6:02 pm AST on 17 January 2020 ()
- Where
- 5 km (3 mi) south of Magas Arriba, PR · earthquakes near Magas Arriba
- Magnitude
- M 4.3 (ml)
- Depth
- 9.0 km below the surface
- Felt
- 119 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Nearest
- Guayanilla Municipio, 5 km NW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2408 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Magas Arriba, PR
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Magas Arriba, PR. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 Magas Arriba, 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: Magas Arriba 5 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 6 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 6 km, intensity IV · Yauco 11 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 11 km, intensity IV · Ponce 16 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 22 km, intensity III · San Germán 32 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.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 4,000× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.3 about 43 tons of TNT
- 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 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, -66.7666. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guayanilla Municipio, PR | 5 km (3 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio |
| Peñuelas Municipio, PR | 7 km (5 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio |
| Yauco Municipio, PR | 16 km (10 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Yauco Municipio |
| Guánica Municipio, PR | 17 km (10 mi) | W | earthquakes near Guánica Municipio |
| Ponce Municipio, PR | 17 km (11 mi) | ENE | earthquakes near Ponce Municipio |
| Sabana Grande Municipio, PR | 23 km (14 mi) | WNW | 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.
- 2.5 2 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
- 2.9 2 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
- 2.5 12 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
- 2.8 1 km ESE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
- 2.6 3 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
- 2.8 5 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
- 2.5 0 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
- 3.1 3 km W of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
- 2.4 Puerto Rico region
- 2.4 4 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
- 3.0 4 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
- 2.4 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
- 2.5 2 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
- 3.1 3 km NW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
- 2.6 4 km ESE 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.