QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 10:08 am AST (14:08 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) west of Ponce, PR, at 4:59 am AST on 13 September 2023 (08:59 UTC), 5.0 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

12 km (8 mi) W of Ponce, PR

4:59 am AST, Sep 13, 2023 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 25 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Peñuelas Municipio 2 kmGuayanilla Municipio 6 kmPonce Municipio 14 kmYauco Municipio 15 kmAdjuntas Municipio 19 kmGuánica Municipio 21 kmSabana Grande Municipio 23 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 26 kmJayuya Municipio 27 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
4:59 am AST on 13 September 2023 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) west of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 1.9 (md)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Peñuelas Municipio, 2 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1155 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 12 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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 3 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 3 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 6 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 6 km, intensity II · Yauco 12 km, intensity II · Ponce 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 25 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 620,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 440,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 39× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 25 lb of TNT

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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 4,900,000 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 18.0115, -66.7393. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) W earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) E earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) WNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) N earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) WSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 2 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  3. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  5. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  6. 2.4 3 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  8. 2.8 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 6 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  11. 2.4 5 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  13. 2.7 2 km W of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, 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.