QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Mayagüez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Mayagüez in the 24 hours to 5:34 pm AST (21:34 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) SSE, at 3:17 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mayagüez

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) west of Mayagüez, PR, at 5:54 am AST on 6 January 2021 (09:54 UTC), 20 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km W of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

10 km (6 mi) W of Mayagüez, PR · 126 km (78 mi) W of San Juan, PR

5:54 am AST, Jan 6, 2021 · · 20 km deep · released about 1.1 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Mayagüez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Añasco Municipio 14 kmHormigueros Municipio 15 kmRincón Municipio 15 kmAguada Municipio 20 kmSan Germán Municipio 23 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 24 kmMoca Municipio 26 kmLas Marías Municipio 27 kmSan Sebastián 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
5:54 am AST on 6 January 2021 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) west of Mayagüez, PR · earthquakes near Mayagüez
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Añasco Municipio, 14 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2135 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 44 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Mayagüez, 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.

Likely felt in: Mayagüez 10 km, intensity II · Puerto Real 15 km, intensity II · Rincón 15 km, intensity II · Aguada 20 km, intensity II · San Germán 24 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 26 km, intensity II · Aguadilla 26 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 30 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.1 tons 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 6.7 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 6,900× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1.1 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.3× 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 5.9 on 2020-01-11 — about 9,800 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 32 km NW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 49 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 27 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 39 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 28 km NE 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 18.2023, -67.2355. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Añasco Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) NE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Rincón Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Aguada Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Aguada Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 23 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo 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. 1.5 4 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 6 km SW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.7 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 0 km NW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 5 km ESE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 3 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 1 km S of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 6 km ESE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.8 7 km ESE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 5 km WNW of Puerto Real, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 6 km SSE of La Parguera, 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.