QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near G. L. Garcia, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in G. L. Garcia in the 24 hours to 1:34 pm AST (17:34 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 44 km (27 mi) SW, at 8:40 am AST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near G. L. Garcia

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) south-southwest of G. L. Garcia, PR, at 12:31 pm AST on 21 June 2020 (16:31 UTC), 25 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km SSW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico

35 km (22 mi) S of San Juan, PR · 17 km (11 mi) SSW of Caguas, PR

12:31 pm AST, Jun 21, 2020 · · 25 km deep · released about 490 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near G. L. Garcia Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cayey Municipio 3 kmCidra Municipio 9 kmGuayama Municipio 14 kmCaguas Municipio 15 kmAibonito Municipio 16 kmSan Lorenzo Municipio 16 kmArroyo Municipio 16 kmComerío Municipio 17 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 18 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
12:31 pm AST on 21 June 2020 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) south-southwest of G. L. Garcia, PR · earthquakes near G. L. Garcia
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Cayey Municipio, 3 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2334 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In G. L. Garcia, 4 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 5 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 490 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 31,000× 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 1.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 490 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 2016-12-05 — about 480 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 · 18 km N 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 18.0983, -66.1218. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cayey Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) W earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NNW earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) S earthquakes near Guayama Municipio
Caguas Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio
San Lorenzo Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Lorenzo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 Puerto Rico region
  2. 2.3 1 km SSE of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.8 13 km S of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.4 3 km NNW of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 3 km N of Río Cañas Abajo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 4.2 km NNE of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 7.3 km NNE of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 3 km SW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 1 km E of Candelero Arriba, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 9.4 km NNE of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.8 1 km ESE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 0 km WSW of Galateo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 6 km NE of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 21 km SE of Emajagua, 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.