QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 7:41 pm AST (23:41 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 11:05 pm AST on 23 September 2021 (03:05 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

27 km (17 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

11:05 pm AST, Sep 23, 2021 · · 15 km deep · released about 180 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 7 kmGuayanilla Municipio 12 kmPeñuelas Municipio 18 kmYauco Municipio 18 kmLajas Municipio 20 kmSabana Grande Municipio 20 kmSan Germán Municipio 28 kmPonce Municipio 28 kmMaricao Municipio 29 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
11:05 pm AST on 23 September 2021 ()
Where
27 km (17 mi) west-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 7 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1875 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 27 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: Yauco 13 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 13 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 15 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 180 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 83,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 59,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 180 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 in our catalogue was M 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 660,000 times the energy of this one.

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, -66.8605. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) NNW 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. 2.5 8 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 10 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 8 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.0 8 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 1 km S of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.5 9 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 2 km E of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  9. 2.4 9 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 10 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 11 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 0 km NE of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  14. 1.9 3 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 3 km NNW of Guayanilla, 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.