QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the 24 hours to 8:30 am AST (12:30 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (5 mi) WNW, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Tallaboa

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) southeast of Tallaboa, PR, at 5:23 am AST on 24 May 2023 (09:23 UTC), 8.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

8 km (5 mi) WSW of Ponce, PR

5:23 am AST, May 24, 2023 · · 8.0 km deep · released about 1,800 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Peñuelas Municipio 8 kmPonce Municipio 10 kmGuayanilla Municipio 12 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 22 kmYauco Municipio 22 kmGuánica Municipio 24 kmAdjuntas Municipio 25 kmJayuya Municipio 30 kmVillalba Municipio 30 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
5:23 am AST on 24 May 2023 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) southeast of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
8.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Peñuelas Municipio, 8 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1267 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 45 km (28 mi) from the epicentre. In Tallaboa, 4 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: Tallaboa 4 km, intensity III · Ponce 9 km, intensity III · Tallaboa Alta 10 km, intensity III · Magas Arriba 10 km, intensity III · Guayanilla 12 km, intensity III · Yauco 18 km, intensity III · Adjuntas 22 km, intensity II · Río Cañas Abajo 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 1,800 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 8,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,800 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.9× 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 65,000 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 17.9641, -66.6926. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 22 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) NW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) W earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 0 km SSE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.4 Mona Passage
  3. 2.1 5 km ENE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.3 3 km E of Lajas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  6. 2.8 4 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.0 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.7 5 km ESE of Boquerón, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 4 km WSW of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 1 km SW of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km E of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 6 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 2 km S of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 Puerto Rico region

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.