QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near G. L. Garcia, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in G. L. Garcia in the 24 hours to 11:06 pm AST (03:06 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 44 km (27 mi) SW, at 8:40 am AST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near G. L. Garcia

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) southwest of G. L. Garcia, PR, at 12:14 am AST on 16 December 2025 (04:14 UTC), 24 km deep. 12 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km SW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico

33 km (20 mi) S of San Juan, PR · 16 km (10 mi) SSW of Caguas, PR

12:14 am AST, Dec 16, 2025 · · 24 km deep · released about 1.1 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near G. L. Garcia Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cayey Municipio 4 kmCidra Municipio 8 kmCaguas Municipio 13 kmSan Lorenzo Municipio 15 kmGuayama Municipio 16 kmAibonito Municipio 16 kmAguas Buenas Municipio 16 kmComerío Municipio 17 kmArroyo Municipio 18 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
12:14 am AST on 16 December 2025 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) southwest of G. L. Garcia, PR · earthquakes near G. L. Garcia
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
24 km below the surface
Felt
12 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Cayey Municipio, 4 km WSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 246 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 42 km (26 mi) from the epicentre. In G. L. Garcia, 2 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: Cayey 5 km, intensity II · Sumidero 12 km, intensity II · Jagual 14 km, intensity II · Guayama 14 km, intensity II · Caguas 15 km, intensity II · Coamo 26 km, intensity II · Guaynabo 27 km, intensity II · Emajagua 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 1.1 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 150,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 6,900× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1.1 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.3× 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 4.6 on 2016-12-05 — about 110 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 17 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 49 km NNW 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 18.1125, -66.1173. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cayey Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Caguas Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Caguas Municipio
San Lorenzo Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Lorenzo Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Guayama Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) W earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 2 km WNW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 2 km WSW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 2 km SSW of Vázquez, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 11 km SSE of Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 0 km WSW of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
  6. 1.9 0 km SW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 3 km NNW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 5 km W of Campo Rico, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.6 1 km SW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.8 7 km ESE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 3 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.7 1 km WSW of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.7 2 km NW of Las Ollas, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.0 1 km SSE of Cidra, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.9 3 km WNW of Orocovis, 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.