QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Liborio Negron Torres, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Liborio Negron Torres in the 24 hours to 2:28 pm AST (18:28 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 17 km (11 mi) SE, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Liborio Negron Torres

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southwest of Liborio Negron Torres, PR, at 5:00 am AST on 12 January 2021 (09:00 UTC), 14 km deep.

USGS: 5 km SW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico

38 km (24 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 27 km (17 mi) SE of Mayagüez, PR

5:00 am AST, Jan 12, 2021 · · 14 km deep · released about 18 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Liborio Negron Torres Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lajas Municipio 7 kmGuánica Municipio 9 kmSabana Grande Municipio 9 kmSan Germán Municipio 13 kmYauco Municipio 16 kmMaricao Municipio 19 kmGuayanilla Municipio 20 kmHormigueros Municipio 20 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 21 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
5:00 am AST on 12 January 2021 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) southwest of Liborio Negron Torres, PR · earthquakes near Liborio Negron Torres
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lajas Municipio, 7 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2025 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 3 km (2 mi) from the epicentre. In Liborio Negron Torres, 6 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: La Parguera, Fuig, Sabana Grande, Guánica, Lluveras, Lajas.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 18 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 840,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 53× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 18 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 6,700,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 45 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 45 km WNW 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 18.0070, -66.9846. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lajas Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) WSW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Maricao 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. 1.9 4 km E of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 5 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.8 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 Puerto Rico region
  5. 1.7 4 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.6 7 km W of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 11 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 10 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 1 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.7 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.5 3 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 7 km ESE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 2 km NW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 3 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.6 1 km NNE of Lluveras, 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.