QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7md

Earthquake near Potala Pastillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Potala Pastillo in the 24 hours to 4:33 pm AST (20:33 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 10:09 am AST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Potala Pastillo, PR, at 12:57 pm AST on 18 November 2020 (16:57 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 4.2 km NNE of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico

13 km (8 mi) ESE of Ponce, PR

12:57 pm AST, Nov 18, 2020 · · 12 km deep · released about 320 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 5 kmPonce Municipio 11 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 13 kmVillalba Municipio 20 kmCoamo Municipio 23 kmPeñuelas Municipio 24 kmSalinas Municipio 27 kmJayuya Municipio 29 kmOrocovis Municipio 30 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
12:57 pm AST on 18 November 2020 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Potala Pastillo, PR · earthquakes near Potala Pastillo
Magnitude
M 2.7 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 5 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2184 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 22 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Potala Pastillo, 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: Río Cañas Abajo 10 km, intensity II · Santa Isabel 11 km, intensity II · Ponce 13 km, intensity II · Coamo 21 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 22 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 320 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 48,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 34,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 320 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 380,000 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 17.9566, -66.5126. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.9 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 18 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 13 km S of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 6 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 2 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 6 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 3 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 3 km NW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 6 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.7 11 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 1 km W of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 1 km ESE of Magas Arriba, 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.