QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8md

Earthquake near Culebra, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Culebra in the last 24 hours. M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) ENE of Culebra, at 6:51 am AST on 11 November 2026 (10:51 UTC); the estimated shaking in Culebra was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Culebra

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) north of Culebra, PR, at 6:57 pm AST on 12 January 2021 (22:57 UTC), 68 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 39 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico

86 km (53 mi) ENE of San Juan, PR

6:57 pm AST, Jan 12, 2021 · · 68 km deep · released about 8.7 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Culebra Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Culebra Municipio 37 kmFajardo Municipio 43 kmLuquillo Municipio 54 kmCeiba Municipio 57 kmVieques Municipio 61 kmRío Grande Municipio 61 kmNaguabo Municipio 68 kmLoíza Municipio 72 kmCanóvanas Municipio 72 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
6:57 pm AST on 12 January 2021 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) north of Culebra, PR · earthquakes near Culebra
Magnitude
M 3.8 (md)
Depth
68 km below the surface
Felt
5 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Culebra Municipio, 37 km S
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 52 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Culebra, 40 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: Culebra 40 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.7 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 19,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 870× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 620× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 8.7 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 18× 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 4.5 on 2020-11-18 — about 11 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 73 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico · 44 km NNW 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 18.6593, -65.2973. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Culebra Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) S earthquakes near Culebra Municipio
Fajardo Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) SW earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio
Luquillo Municipio, PR 54 km (34 mi) SW earthquakes near Luquillo Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 57 km (35 mi) SW earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Vieques Municipio, PR 61 km (38 mi) SSW earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Río Grande Municipio, PR 61 km (38 mi) WSW earthquakes near Río Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 72 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  2. 3.0 66 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.4 65 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  4. 3.0 22 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.5 81 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.4 44 km N of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  7. 3.5 76 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.3 78 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.5 82 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.2 75 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.2 76 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.6 76 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.4 72 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.4 83 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.5 86 km NNE of Luquillo, 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.