QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Sabana Grande, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Sabana Grande in the last 24 hours. M 2.4, 16 km (10 mi) SSE of Sabana Grande, at 3:43 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (19:43 UTC); the estimated shaking in Sabana Grande was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Sabana Grande

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) north of Sabana Grande, PR, at 10:30 pm AST on 3 September 2021 (02:30 UTC), 17 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km N of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

38 km (23 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR · 21 km (13 mi) ESE of Mayagüez, PR

10:30 pm AST, Sep 3, 2021 · · 17 km deep · released about 700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Sabana Grande Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sabana Grande Municipio 4 kmMaricao Municipio 6 kmSan Germán Municipio 8 kmYauco Municipio 11 kmLas Marías Municipio 12 kmHormigueros Municipio 17 kmLajas Municipio 18 kmGuánica Municipio 19 kmLares Municipio 20 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
10:30 pm AST on 3 September 2021 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) north of Sabana Grande, PR · earthquakes near Sabana Grande
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Sabana Grande Municipio, 4 km SSE
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 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. In Sabana Grande, 5 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: San Germán 10 km, intensity II · Yauco 15 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 21 km, intensity II · Mayagüez 21 km, intensity II · Lares 21 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 23 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 24 km, intensity II · Puerto Real 25 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 700 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 170,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 45 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 33 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 44 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 44 km W 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 18.1198, -66.9583. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 4 km (3 mi) SSE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NNE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) W earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) N earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) W earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 0 km NNE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 20 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  5. 1.9 4 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 2 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.5 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.7 6 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  10. 3.2 4 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.3 12 km SSE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 6 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 6 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.8 3 km E 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.