Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.5ml
28 km SE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Yes. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded 28 km SE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, at 11:12 pm AST on 13 October 2021 (03:12 UTC), 143 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
- When
- Magnitude
- M 4.5 (ml)
- Depth
- 143 km below the surface
- Felt
- 4 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Nearest
- Mayagüez Municipio, 49 km SE
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1789 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. 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.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 71 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 2,400× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 75× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.5 about 71 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 150× 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 in our catalogue was M 5.3 on 2019-02-04 — about 19 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 18.3885, -68.2210. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayagüez Municipio, PR | 49 km (30 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Mayagüez Municipio |
| Rincón Municipio, PR | 103 km (64 mi) | E | earthquakes near Rincón Municipio |
| Aguada Municipio, PR | 109 km (68 mi) | E | earthquakes near Aguada Municipio |
| Aguadilla Municipio, PR | 114 km (71 mi) | E | earthquakes near Aguadilla Municipio |
| Añasco Municipio, PR | 116 km (72 mi) | E | earthquakes near Añasco Municipio |
| Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR | 118 km (73 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
43 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 3.9 28 km SSE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 4.0 56 km SE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.4 44 km SSE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic
- 3.5 49 km SSE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.5 37 km ENE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.0 66 km SE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.7 11 km NE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.8 21 km ESE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic
- 3.1 64 km W of Stella, Puerto Rico
- 3.5 31 km SE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic
- 3.9 30 km SSE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic
- 3.5 27 km SE of Boca de Yuma, Dominican Republic
- 3.0 61 km ESE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.8 23 km NNE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- 3.8 35 km SSE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.