QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3ml

Earthquake near Pole Ojea, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Pole Ojea in the 24 hours to 4:28 am AST (08:28 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 8 km (5 mi) ENE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Pole Ojea

This page: a magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) southeast of Pole Ojea, PR, at 4:10 pm AST on 24 June 2021 (20:10 UTC), 11 km deep. 66 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 9 km SE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico

31 km (19 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 124 km (77 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

4:10 pm AST, Jun 24, 2021 · · 11 km deep · released about 43 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Pole Ojea Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lajas Municipio 11 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 11 kmGuánica Municipio 21 kmSan Germán Municipio 23 kmHormigueros Municipio 24 kmSabana Grande Municipio 26 kmYauco Municipio 33 kmMaricao Municipio 34 kmGuayanilla Municipio 35 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
4:10 pm AST on 24 June 2021 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) southeast of Pole Ojea, PR · earthquakes near Pole Ojea
Magnitude
M 4.3 (ml)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
66 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Lajas Municipio, 11 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1902 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 121 km (75 mi) from the epicentre. In Pole Ojea, 9 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Pole Ojea 9 km, intensity IV · Puerto Real 19 km, intensity III · San Germán 20 km, intensity III · Yauco 31 km, intensity III · Mayagüez 31 km, intensity III · Guayanilla 36 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 39 km, intensity III · Tallaboa 43 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 4,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.3 about 43 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 89× 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 1,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 40 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 39 km NW 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 17.9200, -67.1186. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lajas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) N earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NE earthquakes near Sabana Grande 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. 2.1 6 km SSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 7 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.6 7 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.1 7 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 1 km ESE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.8 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 4 km SSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 2 km ESE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 6 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 6 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 7 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.5 9 km SE of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 6 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.5 8 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.9 7 km SW of La Parguera, 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.