QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 7:08 am AST (11:08 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 3.3 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) southwest of Ponce, PR, at 5:30 pm AST on 20 March 2020 (21:30 UTC), 4.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

39 km (24 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

5:30 pm AST, Mar 20, 2020 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 1.2 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 24 kmGuayanilla Municipio 31 kmLajas Municipio 32 kmPeñuelas Municipio 35 kmYauco Municipio 39 kmSabana Grande Municipio 39 kmPonce Municipio 41 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 43 kmSan Germán Municipio 45 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
5:30 pm AST on 20 March 2020 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 3.3 (md)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 24 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2350 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 50 km (31 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: Guayanilla 32 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 33 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 33 km, intensity II · Yauco 33 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 39 km, intensity II · Ponce 40 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 42 km, intensity II · San Germán 42 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.2 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 140,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 6,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.2 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.5× 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 50,000 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 17.7385, -66.8725. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 32 km (20 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 35 km (22 mi) NNE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) NNW 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.

  1. 2.6 3 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 2 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 7 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 2 km S of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 1 km WSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 7 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 2 km NNW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 7 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 6 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 3 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 6 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.9 7 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.0 5 km SE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.6 5 km WSW of Fuig, 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.