QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1md

Earthquake near Jauca, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Jauca in the 24 hours to 4:41 pm AST (20:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 7 km (4 mi) NNE, at 5:05 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Jauca

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) southeast of Jauca, PR, at 8:21 pm AST on 27 May 2020 (00:21 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km SE of Jauca, Puerto Rico

59 km (37 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 31 km (19 mi) ESE of Ponce, PR

8:21 pm AST, May 27, 2020 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 1,600 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Jauca Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Isabel Municipio 6 kmSalinas Municipio 9 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 17 kmCoamo Municipio 18 kmGuayama Municipio 21 kmAibonito Municipio 22 kmVillalba Municipio 26 kmCayey Municipio 27 kmBarranquitas 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
8:21 pm AST on 27 May 2020 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) southeast of Jauca, PR · earthquakes near Jauca
Magnitude
M 3.1 (md)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Santa Isabel Municipio, 6 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2279 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 44 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Jauca, 4 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Santa Isabel 8 km, intensity III · Coamo 16 km, intensity III · Río Cañas Abajo 18 km, intensity III · Guayama 24 km, intensity II · Cayey 26 km, intensity II · Ponce 31 km, intensity II · Sumidero 38 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 40 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,600 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 210,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 9,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,700× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,600 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.7× 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 5.6 on 2020-01-07 — about 4,700 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 41 km NNE 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 17.9408, -66.3368. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 6 km (3 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) ENE earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) WNW earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Guayama Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NNE earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 5 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 2 km S of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 0 km N of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 9 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 8 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  6. 4.2 13 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 6 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 6 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 2 km ESE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 6 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 11 km SSE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.1 2 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 11 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.4 2 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.7 4 km SE of Indios, 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.