QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4md

Earthquake near Sabana Grande, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Sabana Grande in the 24 hours to 3:21 pm AST (19:21 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 22 km (13 mi) SSE, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Sabana Grande

This page: a magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-southwest of Sabana Grande, PR, at 5:15 pm AST on 5 March 2024 (21:15 UTC), 15 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km WSW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

40 km (25 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR · 22 km (13 mi) SE of Mayagüez, PR

5:15 pm AST, Mar 5, 2024 · · 15 km deep · released about 1.7 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Sabana Grande Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sabana Grande Municipio 5 kmSan Germán Municipio 6 kmLajas Municipio 12 kmMaricao Municipio 13 kmYauco Municipio 14 kmHormigueros Municipio 15 kmGuánica Municipio 15 kmLas Marías Municipio 17 kmGuayanilla Municipio 22 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
5:15 pm AST on 5 March 2024 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west-southwest of Sabana Grande, PR · earthquakes near Sabana Grande
Magnitude
M 3.4 (md)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Sabana Grande Municipio, 5 km ENE
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 54 km (34 mi) from the epicentre. In Sabana Grande, 3 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: San Germán 6 km, intensity III · Yauco 15 km, intensity III · Puerto Real 21 km, intensity II · Mayagüez 21 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 22 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 23 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 24 km, intensity II · Lares 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.7 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 99,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 4,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 1.7 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 3.6× 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 35,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 37 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 42 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 42 km WNW 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 18.0716, -66.9908. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) NW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) E earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) WNW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.1 3 km NNE of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 4 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 1 km SE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 1 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.3 20 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.1 10 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 3 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 3 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 2 km WNW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.3 5 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 0 km NNE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.6 5 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 6 km SW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.2 3 km S of Guánica, 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.