QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Guánica, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Guánica in the 24 hours to 2:29 pm AST (18:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 13 km (8 mi) ENE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Guánica

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) south-southeast of Guánica, PR, at 12:38 pm AST on 3 January 2021 (16:38 UTC), 16 km deep.

USGS: 9 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico

31 km (19 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

12:38 pm AST, Jan 3, 2021 · · 16 km deep · released about 100 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Guánica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 8 kmGuayanilla Municipio 16 kmLajas Municipio 19 kmYauco Municipio 22 kmSabana Grande Municipio 23 kmPeñuelas Municipio 23 kmSan Germán Municipio 29 kmMaricao Municipio 32 kmPonce Municipio 32 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
12:38 pm AST on 3 January 2021 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) south-southeast of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 8 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2138 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Guánica, 10 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Maria Antonia, Fuig, Indios, Palomas, Lluveras, Yauco.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 100 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 9.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 100 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 1,200,000 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 17.8870, -66.8876. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 0 km NE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.9 4 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.7 0 km ENE of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.6 6 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 10 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.8 5 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 1 km WNW of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 0 km N of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 7 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 7 km ENE of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 4 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.6 7 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.5 6 km WSW of Fuig, 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.