QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Aguas Claras, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Aguas Claras in the 24 hours to 12:56 pm AST (16:56 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 47 km (29 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 Aguas Claras

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) east-southeast of Aguas Claras, PR, at 4:53 pm AST on 4 January 2021 (20:53 UTC), 35 km deep.

USGS: 5 km ESE of Aguas Claras, Puerto Rico

52 km (32 mi) ESE of San Juan, PR · 44 km (27 mi) ESE of Carolina, PR

4:53 pm AST, Jan 4, 2021 · · 35 km deep · released about 54 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Aguas Claras Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ceiba Municipio 2 kmNaguabo Municipio 14 kmFajardo Municipio 17 kmLuquillo Municipio 18 kmVieques Municipio 22 kmHumacao Municipio 22 kmRío Grande Municipio 26 kmLas Piedras Municipio 29 kmCanóvanas Municipio 31 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
4:53 pm AST on 4 January 2021 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) east-southeast of Aguas Claras, PR · earthquakes near Aguas Claras
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
35 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ceiba Municipio, 2 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2090 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 Aguas Claras, 5 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: Luis M. Cintron, Daguao, Fajardo, Naguabo, Duque, Ramos.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 54 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 280,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 18× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 54 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 4,400 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 18.2378, -65.6046. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ceiba Municipio, PR 2 km (2 mi) NW earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) WSW earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Vieques Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) SE earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Humacao Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) WSW earthquakes near Humacao Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.5 13 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  2. 4.8 13 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.1 2 km SE of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.7 23 km ESE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.8 11 km S of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.2 27 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.2 36 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.0 29 km SE of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 3 km SSE of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 19 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.4 23 km SSE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.0 11 km W of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 6 km N of Martorell, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.8 8 km S of Palo Seco, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.2 30 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.