QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2md

123 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico

Yes. A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded 123 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico, at 2:43 pm AST on 30 August 2023 (18:43 UTC), 92 km deep.

· 92 km deep · released about 27 tons of TNT

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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
Magnitude
M 4.2 (md)
Depth
92 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Dorado Municipio, 133 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1103 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 61 km (38 mi) from the epicentre. 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 27 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 6,200× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 280× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 200× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 27 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 57× 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 4.4 on 2023-02-28 — about 2.5 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 122 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico · 40 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 92 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico · 31 km S 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 19.5353, -65.6690. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Dorado Municipio, PR 133 km (83 mi) SSW earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 151 km (94 mi) SW earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.6 108 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.6 119 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.8 127 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.6 124 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.6 118 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.9 137 km NNE of Vieques, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.3 78 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.7 111 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.7 97 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.4 111 km N of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.9 148 km NNE of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.6 91 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.7 132 km N of Suárez, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.7 131 km NNE of San Juan, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.3 89 km N of Suárez, 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.