QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3ml

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 2:52 am AST (06:52 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 4.3 earthquake was recorded 7 km (4 mi) south-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 2:53 am AST on 27 January 2020 (06:53 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 90 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km SSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico

6 km (4 mi) SSW of Ponce, PR

2:53 am AST, Jan 27, 2020 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 43 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ponce Municipio 7 kmPeñuelas Municipio 11 kmGuayanilla Municipio 16 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 18 kmYauco Municipio 26 kmVillalba Municipio 28 kmAdjuntas Municipio 28 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 28 kmGuánica 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
2:53 am AST on 27 January 2020 ()
Where
7 km (4 mi) south-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 4.3 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
90 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Ponce Municipio, 7 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2406 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 Ponce, 7 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: Ponce 7 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 8 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 12 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 14 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 16 km, intensity IV · Río Cañas Abajo 22 km, intensity III · Yauco 23 km, intensity III · Adjuntas 24 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 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 17.9525, -66.6535. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ponce Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) NE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Villalba 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. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  2. 1.6 13 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.9 9 km SSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 5 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 3 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.8 1 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 5 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 3 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 22 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 1 km ESE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.8 16 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 9 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.9 19 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 1 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 6 km SSE 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.