QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.5md

Earthquake near Esperanza, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Esperanza in the 24 hours to 11:42 pm AST (03:42 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 23 km (14 mi) SE, at 12:08 pm AST on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Esperanza

This page: a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) south of Esperanza, PR, at 4:29 am AST on 13 November 2022 (08:29 UTC), 14 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 18 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico

84 km (52 mi) SE of San Juan, PR

4:29 am AST, Nov 13, 2022 · · 14 km deep · released about 2.8 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Esperanza Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vieques Municipio 22 kmCeiba Municipio 40 kmHumacao Municipio 42 kmNaguabo Municipio 43 kmYabucoa Municipio 46 kmCulebra Municipio 47 kmMaunabo Municipio 48 kmFajardo Municipio 53 kmLas Piedras Municipio 53 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
4:29 am AST on 13 November 2022 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) south of Esperanza, PR · earthquakes near Esperanza
Magnitude
M 3.5 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Vieques Municipio, 22 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1383 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 63 km (39 mi) from the epicentre. In Esperanza, 19 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Esperanza 19 km, intensity III · Isabel Segunda 24 km, intensity II · Aguas Claras 42 km, intensity II · Culebra 44 km, intensity II · Emajagua 46 km, intensity II · Humacao 47 km, intensity II · Fajardo 49 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2.8 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 61,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,700× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.5 about 2.8 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 5.8× 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 4.8 on 2021-10-08 — about 86 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 17.9293, -65.4505. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vieques Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) N earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio
Humacao Municipio, PR 42 km (26 mi) WNW earthquakes near Humacao Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) NW earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio
Yabucoa Municipio, PR 46 km (28 mi) WNW earthquakes near Yabucoa Municipio
Culebra Municipio, PR 47 km (29 mi) NNE earthquakes near Culebra Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.7 5 km SSE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 24 km ESE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.2 1 km NE of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 9 km SE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.4 1 km W of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.0 33 km SSW of Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
  7. 2.9 1 km W of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.9 9 km SSE of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 19 km SW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 1 km NNW of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 2 km NW of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.9 2 km NNW of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 29 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 8 km S of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 10 km S of Emajagua, 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.