QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Carolina, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Carolina in the 24 hours to 3:34 pm AST (19:34 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 81 km (50 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 Carolina

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) northeast of Carolina, PR, at 3:07 am AST on 27 November 2020 (07:07 UTC), 55 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

21 km (13 mi) ENE of San Juan, PR · 12 km (8 mi) NE of Carolina, PR

3:07 am AST, Nov 27, 2020 · · 55 km deep · released about 35 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Carolina Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Loíza Municipio 7 kmCarolina Municipio 13 kmRío Grande Municipio 14 kmCanóvanas Municipio 16 kmTrujillo Alto Municipio 20 kmSan Juan Municipio 20 kmLuquillo Municipio 22 kmGurabo Municipio 25 kmCataño Municipio 28 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
3:07 am AST on 27 November 2020 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) northeast of Carolina, PR · earthquakes near Carolina
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
55 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Loíza Municipio, 7 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2175 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Carolina, 13 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Loíza, Suárez, Vieques, San Isidro, Santa Barbara, Canovanas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 35 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 440,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 310,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 28× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 35 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.

Where

Epicentre 18.4775, -65.8838. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Loíza Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) WSW earthquakes near Loíza Municipio
Carolina Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SW earthquakes near Carolina Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio
Canóvanas Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Canóvanas Municipio
Trujillo Alto Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) SW earthquakes near Trujillo Alto Municipio
San Juan Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Juan Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 0 km NW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.4 23 km NNE of Fajardo, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 12 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.3 4 km SSW of Las Piedras, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.3 40 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.9 0 km WNW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 13 km N of Levittown, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 5 km SSE of Corozal, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.2 3 km S of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.2 38 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.5 1 km ENE of Dorado, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.2 36 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 5 km ESE of Cataño, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 1 km NW of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 19 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

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