QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2md

Earthquake near Cabo Rojo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Cabo Rojo in the 24 hours to 5:51 pm AST (21:51 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 9 km (6 mi) SSE, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south of Cabo Rojo, PR, at 3:09 am AST on 22 May 2026 (07:09 UTC), 6.0 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km S of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

16 km (10 mi) S of Mayagüez, PR · 120 km (75 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

3:09 am AST, May 22, 2026 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 1,800 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cabo Rojo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 8 kmHormigueros Municipio 9 kmSan Germán Municipio 12 kmLajas Municipio 14 kmSabana Grande Municipio 21 kmMaricao Municipio 25 kmAñasco Municipio 26 kmLas Marías Municipio 26 kmGuánica Municipio 26 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
3:09 am AST on 22 May 2026 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south of Cabo Rojo, PR · earthquakes near Cabo Rojo
Magnitude
M 3.2 (md)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 8 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 98 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 Cabo Rojo, 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: Puerto Real 5 km, intensity III · Pole Ojea 10 km, intensity III · San Germán 11 km, intensity III · Mayagüez 16 km, intensity III · Yauco 31 km, intensity II · Rincón 33 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 35 km, intensity II · Aguada 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,800 lb 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 6.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 8,200× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,800 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.9× 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 65,000 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 · 43 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 39 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 28 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 27 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 18.0573, -67.1421. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SSW earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 12 km (8 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 14 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 0 km ENE of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 3 km NNW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 8 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.1 1 km NNE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 1 km E of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 2 km W of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 3 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 8 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 4 km N of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 5 km SSW of Utuado, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 3 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.1 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 9 km SSE of Lares, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.3 1 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 1 km WSW of Indios, 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.