QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2md

Earthquake near Santo Domingo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Santo Domingo in the 24 hours to 10:50 am AST (14:50 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) SW, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Santo Domingo

This page: a magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) west of Santo Domingo, PR, at 6:41 am AST on 29 November 2022 (10:41 UTC), 4.0 km deep. 48 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km W of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico

20 km (13 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR

6:41 am AST, Nov 29, 2022 · · 4.0 km deep · released about 32 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Santo Domingo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Yauco Municipio 6 kmGuayanilla Municipio 7 kmPeñuelas Municipio 9 kmAdjuntas Municipio 13 kmSabana Grande Municipio 16 kmMaricao Municipio 18 kmGuánica Municipio 19 kmPonce Municipio 22 kmLares Municipio 24 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
6:41 am AST on 29 November 2022 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) west of Santo Domingo, PR · earthquakes near Santo Domingo
Magnitude
M 4.2 (md)
Depth
4.0 km below the surface
Felt
48 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Yauco Municipio, 6 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1375 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 114 km (71 mi) from the epicentre. In Santo Domingo, 5 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: Guayanilla 6 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 7 km, intensity IV · Yauco 7 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 11 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 12 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 13 km, intensity IV · Ponce 20 km, intensity III · San Germán 26 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 5,200× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 230× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 32 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 68× 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 1,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 47 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 18.0705, -66.7988. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Yauco Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) WNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) S earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) W earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) NW earthquakes near Maricao 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. 2.5 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 3 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.5 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 4 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 3 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 9 km SSE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 1 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.3 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  11. 2.6 1 km ESE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 5 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 3 km WSW of Fuig, 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.