QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Arecibo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Arecibo in the 24 hours to 12:08 pm AST (16:08 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 49 km (31 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Arecibo

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 49 km (30 mi) northeast of Arecibo, PR, at 1:39 pm AST on 22 November 2020 (17:39 UTC), 49 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 38 km NNW of Brenas, Puerto Rico

59 km (36 mi) NW of San Juan, PR · 51 km (32 mi) NE of Arecibo, PR

1:39 pm AST, Nov 22, 2020 · · 49 km deep · released about 1,700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Arecibo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vega Baja Municipio 39 kmBarceloneta Municipio 40 kmDorado Municipio 41 kmManatí Municipio 41 kmVega Alta Municipio 42 kmToa Baja Municipio 46 kmCataño Municipio 50 kmArecibo Municipio 50 kmFlorida Municipio 51 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
1:39 pm AST on 22 November 2020 ()
Where
49 km (30 mi) northeast of Arecibo, PR · earthquakes near Arecibo
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
49 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Vega Baja Municipio, 39 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1556 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Arecibo, 49 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,700 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 6.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 9,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,500× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,700 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 4.8 on 2017-08-18 — about 290 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 78 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 31 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 78 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 64 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 27 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 18.8083, -66.4200. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) S earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 40 km (25 mi) SSW earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 41 km (25 mi) SSE earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 41 km (26 mi) S earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 42 km (26 mi) SSE earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Toa Baja Municipio, PR 46 km (28 mi) SSE earthquakes near Toa Baja Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.3 49 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.4 64 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 54 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.2 Puerto Rico region
  5. 3.4 63 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.2 75 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.2 72 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.2 77 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 34 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 53 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 75 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.9 26 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 65 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.9 51 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.8 37 km N of San Juan, 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.