QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.1ml

Earthquake near Guánica, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Guánica in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 7 km (4 mi) ENE of Guánica, at 4:14 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (20:14 UTC); the estimated shaking in Guánica was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Guánica

This page: a magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Guánica, PR, at 8:53 pm AST on 18 January 2020 (00:53 UTC), 6.0 km deep. 40 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

34 km (21 mi) W of Ponce, PR

8:53 pm AST, Jan 18, 2020 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 21 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Guánica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 2 kmLajas Municipio 11 kmSabana Grande Municipio 16 kmGuayanilla Municipio 17 kmYauco Municipio 18 kmSan Germán Municipio 21 kmPeñuelas Municipio 25 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 26 kmMaricao Municipio 26 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
8:53 pm AST on 18 January 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) southwest of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 4.1 (ml)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
40 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 2 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2408 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 104 km (65 mi) from the epicentre. In Guánica, 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: Yauco 14 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 18 km, intensity III · San Germán 19 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 20 km, intensity III · Tallaboa 25 km, intensity III · Pole Ojea 26 km, intensity III · Tallaboa Alta 28 km, intensity III · Puerto Real 30 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.1 about 21 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 45× 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 in our catalogue was M 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 2,800 times the energy of this one.

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 17.9403, -66.9426. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán 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 6 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.3 2 km ESE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 2 km NE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.9 5 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 1 km E of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 10 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 1 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 7 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 1 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.8 5 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 20 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 3 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.0 14 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 6 km WSW of Guánica, 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.