QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near La Parguera, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in La Parguera in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 13 km (8 mi) ESE of La Parguera, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in La Parguera was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near La Parguera

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) south-southeast of La Parguera, PR, at 7:38 pm AST on 14 January 2021 (23:38 UTC), 6.0 km deep.

USGS: 22 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico

46 km (28 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

7:38 pm AST, Jan 14, 2021 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 5.9 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near La Parguera Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 20 kmLajas Municipio 23 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 31 kmGuayanilla Municipio 32 kmSabana Grande Municipio 34 kmYauco Municipio 37 kmSan Germán Municipio 37 kmPeñuelas Municipio 39 kmHormigueros Municipio 42 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
7:38 pm AST on 14 January 2021 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) south-southeast of La Parguera, PR · earthquakes near La Parguera
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 20 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2010 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In La Parguera, 22 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: Guánica, Fuig, Maria Antonia, Palomas, Liborio Negron Torres, Indios.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.9 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 160× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.9 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 20,000,000 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 17.7813, -66.9890. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 31 km (20 mi) NW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 32 km (20 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco 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. 1.8 4 km S of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.8 4 km WNW of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
  3. 1.6 7 km ESE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.7 8 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.8 9 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.6 7 km ESE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.8 4 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.7 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.6 9 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 Puerto Rico region
  12. 1.7 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 6 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.7 1 km NNE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.5 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, 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.