QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near San Juan, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Juan in the 24 hours to 12:08 pm AST (16:08 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 99 km (62 mi) SE, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near San Juan

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) south-southwest of San Juan, PR, at 10:00 am AST on 11 April 2020 (14:00 UTC), 12 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km S of Palomas, Puerto Rico

31 km (19 mi) SW of San Juan, PR · 23 km (14 mi) SSW of Bayamón, PR

10:00 am AST, Apr 11, 2020 · · 12 km deep · released about 830 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Comerío Municipio 5 kmBarranquitas Municipio 6 kmAibonito Municipio 7 kmNaranjito Municipio 10 kmCidra Municipio 10 kmCorozal Municipio 14 kmCoamo Municipio 15 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 15 kmCayey Municipio 15 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
10:00 am AST on 11 April 2020 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) south-southwest of San Juan, PR · earthquakes near San Juan
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Comerío Municipio, 5 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2405 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 33 km (21 mi) from the epicentre. In San Juan, 34 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: Cayey 14 km, intensity II · Sumidero 14 km, intensity II · Coamo 17 km, intensity II · Corozal 17 km, intensity II · Caguas 22 km, intensity II · Guaynabo 24 km, intensity II · Bayamón 25 km, intensity II · Ciales 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 830 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 18,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 13,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 830 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 since 2016 was M 4.6 on 2019-03-12 — about 290 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 15 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 35 km NNW of this epicentre

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 18.1976, -66.2570. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Comerío Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NE earthquakes near Comerío Municipio
Barranquitas Municipio, PR 6 km (3 mi) W earthquakes near Barranquitas Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio
Naranjito Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) N earthquakes near Naranjito Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Corozal Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NNW earthquakes near Corozal Municipio

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

6 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.7 0 km E of Luis Llorens Torres, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.9 2 km W of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 3 km WSW of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.3 3 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.7 3 km ESE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 2 km SSW of Jauca, 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.