QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3md

Earthquake near La Playa, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in La Playa in the 24 hours to 7:59 pm AST (23:59 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 28 km (17 mi) WSW, at 12:57 am AST on 19 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near La Playa

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) southwest of La Playa, PR, at 6:15 pm AST on 12 May 2025 (22:15 UTC), 27 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km SW of La Playa, Puerto Rico

12 km (7 mi) W of Mayagüez, PR · 128 km (79 mi) W of San Juan, PR

6:15 pm AST, May 12, 2025 · · 27 km deep · released about 1.4 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near La Playa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Rincón Municipio 15 kmAñasco Municipio 16 kmHormigueros Municipio 17 kmAguada Municipio 20 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 25 kmSan Germán Municipio 25 kmMoca Municipio 27 kmLas Marías Municipio 29 kmAguadilla Municipio 33 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
6:15 pm AST on 12 May 2025 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) southwest of La Playa, PR · earthquakes near La Playa
Magnitude
M 3.3 (md)
Depth
27 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Rincón Municipio, 15 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 475 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 46 km (29 mi) from the epicentre. In La Playa, 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: Mayagüez 12 km, intensity II · Rincón 15 km, intensity II · Puerto Real 16 km, intensity II · Aguada 21 km, intensity II · San Germán 26 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 27 km, intensity II · Aguadilla 27 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 32 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 120,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,700× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 3× 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 930 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 32 km NW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 48 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 26 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 15 km WNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 38 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 18 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico · 49 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 29 km NE 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 18.2060, -67.2550. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Rincón Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Rincón Municipio
Añasco Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Añasco Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Aguada Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) NNE earthquakes near Aguada Municipio
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) SSE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Germán 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. 2.4 11 km W of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 18 km S of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 0 km SSE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 3 km NE of Las Marias, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.9 7 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 2 km NW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 27 km W of Rincón, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 3 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.8 1 km ENE of Las Marías, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 2 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.1 1 km WSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.3 2 km WSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 8 km W of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.5 3 km W of Fuig, 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.