QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 11:30 pm AST (03:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 5:31 pm AST on 24 January 2020 (21:31 UTC), 4.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

40 km (25 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR · 35 km (22 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR

5:31 pm AST, Jan 24, 2020 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 480 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 8 kmLajas Municipio 8 kmSabana Grande Municipio 19 kmSan Germán Municipio 21 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 22 kmGuayanilla Municipio 23 kmYauco Municipio 23 kmHormigueros Municipio 27 kmMaricao Municipio 29 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
5:31 pm AST on 24 January 2020 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 8 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2480 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 27 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 40 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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: San Germán 19 km, intensity II · Yauco 20 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 21 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 24 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 26 km, intensity II · Puerto Real 27 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 480 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 480 lb of TNT

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 250,000 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 17.9198, -66.9921. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guayanilla 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. 2.4 2 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.0 2 km NW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.6 8 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 5 km S of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.8 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 0 km WSW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 5 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.8 1 km NE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 8 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 1 km SW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 0 km SW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 2 km WSW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 2 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.9 Puerto Rico region

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.