QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.5ml

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the 24 hours to 1:35 am AST (05:35 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) WNW, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Tallaboa

This page: a magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Tallaboa, PR, at 11:14 am AST on 20 January 2020 (15:14 UTC), 14 km deep. 240 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

13 km (8 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

11:14 am AST, Jan 20, 2020 · · 14 km deep · released about 85 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Peñuelas Municipio 7 kmGuayanilla Municipio 8 kmPonce Municipio 15 kmYauco Municipio 18 kmGuánica Municipio 19 kmAdjuntas Municipio 24 kmSabana Grande Municipio 26 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 27 kmMaricao Municipio 31 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
11:14 am AST on 20 January 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) southwest of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 4.5 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
240 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Peñuelas Municipio, 7 km NNE
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 139 km (86 mi) from the epicentre. In Tallaboa, 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: Tallaboa 5 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 7 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 8 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 11 km, intensity IV · Ponce 14 km, intensity IV · Yauco 14 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 22 km, intensity III · Río Cañas Abajo 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 85 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 2,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.5 about 85 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 180× 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 710 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 17.9618, -66.7425. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) NNE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Adjuntas 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. 2.5 1 km N of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.3 3 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 10 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 6 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.0 5 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.3 4 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 4 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 9 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.2 20 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.7 18 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.9 Puerto Rico region
  13. 2.8 13 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.7 2 km WNW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.6 5 km ESE of La Parguera, 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.