QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3md

Earthquake near Carrizales, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Carrizales in the 24 hours to 8:47 pm AST (00:47 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 43 km (27 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Carrizales

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 14 km (9 mi) north-northeast of Carrizales, PR, at 10:18 pm AST on 9 January 2021 (02:18 UTC), 17 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 13 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico

76 km (48 mi) WNW of San Juan, PR · 17 km (10 mi) N of Arecibo, PR

10:18 pm AST, Jan 9, 2021 · · 17 km deep · released about 1.1 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Carrizales Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Hatillo Municipio 19 kmArecibo Municipio 21 kmCamuy Municipio 21 kmQuebradillas Municipio 23 kmBarceloneta Municipio 26 kmIsabela Municipio 30 kmManatí Municipio 33 kmFlorida Municipio 33 kmUtuado Municipio 37 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
10:18 pm AST on 9 January 2021 ()
Where
14 km (9 mi) north-northeast of Carrizales, PR · earthquakes near Carrizales
Magnitude
M 3.3 (md)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Hatillo Municipio, 19 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1556 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 46 km (29 mi) from the epicentre. In Carrizales, 14 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: Hatillo 15 km, intensity II · Arecibo 15 km, intensity II · Quebradillas 24 km, intensity II · Barceloneta 29 km, intensity II · Isabela 30 km, intensity II · Lares 37 km, intensity II · Rafael Hernandez 37 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 38 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 4.3 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 6,700× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,700× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.1 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.4× 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 4.4 on 2018-12-09 — about 53 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 24 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 47 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 49 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 45 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 21 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 40 km SW 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 18.6031, -66.7578. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Hatillo Municipio, PR 19 km (11 mi) SSW earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SSE earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Camuy Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) SSW earthquakes near Camuy Municipio
Quebradillas Municipio, PR 23 km (15 mi) SW earthquakes near Quebradillas Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Isabela Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) WSW earthquakes near Isabela Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.0 47 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.1 61 km NNE of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.6 17 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.2 7 km NNE of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.3 49 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 8 km S of Ciales, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.2 Puerto Rico region
  8. 3.4 63 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.9 31 km N of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.9 26 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.0 18 km NNW of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 17 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.1 10 km NNW of Sabana, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 28 km N of San Antonio, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 2 km W of Adjuntas, 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.