QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.5md

Earthquake near Pole Ojea, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Pole Ojea in the 24 hours to 5:57 pm AST (21:57 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 8 km (5 mi) ENE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Pole Ojea

This page: a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) west of Pole Ojea, PR, at 7:48 am AST on 4 March 2024 (11:48 UTC), 5.0 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 24 km W of Pole Ojea, Puerto Rico

36 km (23 mi) SW of Mayagüez, PR · 149 km (93 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

7:48 am AST, Mar 4, 2024 · · 5.0 km deep · released about 2.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Pole Ojea Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 24 kmHormigueros Municipio 35 kmLajas Municipio 39 kmRincón Municipio 41 kmSan Germán Municipio 41 kmAñasco Municipio 44 kmAguada Municipio 48 kmSabana Grande Municipio 50 kmMayagüez Municipio 51 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
7:48 am AST on 4 March 2024 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) west of Pole Ojea, PR · earthquakes near Pole Ojea
Magnitude
M 3.5 (md)
Depth
5.0 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 24 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 910 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 61 km (38 mi) from the epicentre. In Pole Ojea, 24 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: Pole Ojea 24 km, intensity III · Puerto Real 25 km, intensity II · Mayagüez 36 km, intensity II · San Germán 40 km, intensity II · Rincón 41 km, intensity II · Aguada 48 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 72,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 3,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,300× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.5 about 2.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 4.9× 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 5.3 on 2020-07-03 — about 580 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 21 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 20 km NNE 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 18.0005, -67.4118. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) E earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 35 km (22 mi) ENE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Rincón Municipio, PR 41 km (26 mi) NNE earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 41 km (26 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 44 km (27 mi) NE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 4 km W of Palmarejo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 12 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.6 4 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 12 km W of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 3 km NNE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 1 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.3 20 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.6 5 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.5 6 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.2 8 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.2 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 6 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.7 3 km SW of La Parguera, 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.