QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 7:34 pm AST (23:34 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) south of Ponce, PR, at 4:48 pm AST on 8 January 2021 (20:48 UTC), 6.0 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico

in Ponce, PR

4:48 pm AST, Jan 8, 2021 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 1,700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ponce Municipio 5 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 14 kmPeñuelas Municipio 14 kmGuayanilla Municipio 20 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 24 kmVillalba Municipio 24 kmJayuya Municipio 28 kmAdjuntas Municipio 29 kmYauco Municipio 30 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
4:48 pm AST on 8 January 2021 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) south of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
10 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Ponce Municipio, 5 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2062 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 45 km (28 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Ponce 6 km, intensity III · Tallaboa 12 km, intensity III · Tallaboa Alta 14 km, intensity III · Río Cañas Abajo 18 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 18 km, intensity III · Guayanilla 20 km, intensity II · Santa Isabel 22 km, intensity II · Adjuntas 26 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,700 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 8,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,200× 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 1.8× 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 70,000 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 17.9565, -66.6128. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ponce Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) N earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) WNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NE earthquakes near Villalba 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. 1.7 12 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.5 13 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 13 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 4 km ENE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 3 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 2 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.6 0 km WNW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 2 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 12 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.6 3 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 2 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.0 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 6 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 1 km S of Sabana Grande, 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.