QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.5md

Earthquake near Guayanilla, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Guayanilla in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 7 km (4 mi) WSW of Guayanilla, at 4:14 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (20:14 UTC); the estimated shaking in Guayanilla was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Guayanilla

This page: a magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Guayanilla, PR, at 8:58 am AST on 23 October 2023 (12:58 UTC), 10 km deep. 147 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

19 km (12 mi) W of Ponce, PR

8:58 am AST, Oct 23, 2023 · · 10 km deep · released about 71 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Guayanilla Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 1 kmPeñuelas Municipio 9 kmYauco Municipio 11 kmGuánica Municipio 14 kmSabana Grande Municipio 18 kmAdjuntas Municipio 21 kmPonce Municipio 21 kmMaricao Municipio 24 kmLajas Municipio 25 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
8:58 am AST on 23 October 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Guayanilla, PR · earthquakes near Guayanilla
Magnitude
M 4.5 (md)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
147 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 1 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1043 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 134 km (83 mi) from the epicentre. In Guayanilla, 3 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 3 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 4 km, intensity IV · Yauco 6 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 9 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 13 km, intensity IV · Ponce 19 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 20 km, intensity IV · San Germán 27 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 71 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 2,400× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 75× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.5 about 71 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 150× 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 in our catalogue was M 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 840 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 17.9988, -66.8058. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 1 km (1 mi) NE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 9 km (5 mi) ENE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 14 km (8 mi) WSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 18 km (11 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) NNE earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 1 km SE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 2 km W of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.8 2 km SW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.8 3 km W of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 Puerto Rico region
  6. 2.3 1 km S of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 Puerto Rico region
  9. 2.5 4 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.7 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.8 1 km ESE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.3 2 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.7 7 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.0 9 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.2 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.