QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7md

Earthquake near Esperanza, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Esperanza in the 24 hours to 11:29 am AST (15:29 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 23 km (14 mi) SE, at 12:08 pm AST on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Esperanza

This page: a magnitude 3.7 earthquake was recorded 27 km (17 mi) south-southwest of Esperanza, PR, at 7:40 pm AST on 5 November 2023 (23:40 UTC), 22 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 26 km SSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico

80 km (50 mi) SE of San Juan, PR

7:40 pm AST, Nov 5, 2023 · · 22 km deep · released about 5.4 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Esperanza Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Vieques Municipio 31 kmHumacao Municipio 38 kmYabucoa Municipio 38 kmMaunabo Municipio 39 kmNaguabo Municipio 42 kmCeiba Municipio 43 kmPatillas Municipio 48 kmLas Piedras Municipio 48 kmArroyo Municipio 52 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
7:40 pm AST on 5 November 2023 ()
Where
27 km (17 mi) south-southwest of Esperanza, PR · earthquakes near Esperanza
Magnitude
M 3.7 (md)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Vieques Municipio, 31 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1028 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 73 km (45 mi) from the epicentre. In Esperanza, 27 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: Esperanza 27 km, intensity II · Isabel Segunda 33 km, intensity II · Emajagua 37 km, intensity II · Humacao 42 km, intensity II · Aguas Claras 44 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× 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 4.8 on 2021-10-08 — about 45 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 17.8718, -65.5571. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Vieques Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Vieques Municipio
Humacao Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) NW earthquakes near Humacao Municipio
Yabucoa Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Yabucoa Municipio
Maunabo Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) WNW earthquakes near Maunabo Municipio
Naguabo Municipio, PR 42 km (26 mi) NNW earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio
Ceiba Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) N earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 6 km SSE of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.3 5 km SSE of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 14 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.0 6 km SSE of Bajandas, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.7 11 km SE of Emajagua, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.0 11 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.9 26 km SSE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.8 18 km SSE of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 10 km SW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.2 0 km SSE of Isabel Segunda, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 5 km SE of El Negro, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.3 34 km ESE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.1 3 km NE of Martorell, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.2 21 km SSE of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.5 14 km ESE of Esperanza, 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.