QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.8ml

Earthquake near Guánica, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Guánica in the last 24 hours. M 2.1, 7 km (4 mi) ENE of Guánica, at 4:14 pm AST on 11 November 2026 (20:14 UTC); the estimated shaking in Guánica was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Guánica

This page: a magnitude 4.8 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Guánica, PR, at 9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026 (13:19 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 86 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico

35 km (22 mi) W of Ponce, PR

9:19 am AST, Sep 18, 2026 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 240 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Guánica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 3 kmLajas Municipio 11 kmSabana Grande Municipio 16 kmGuayanilla Municipio 17 kmYauco Municipio 19 kmSan Germán Municipio 21 kmPeñuelas Municipio 25 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 26 kmMaricao 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
9:19 am AST on 18 September 2026 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) southwest of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 4.8 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
86 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 3 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 47 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 170 km (106 mi) from the epicentre. In Guánica, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity V (moderate). 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: Yauco 15 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 19 km, intensity IV · San Germán 19 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 21 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa 25 km, intensity IV · Pole Ojea 26 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 29 km, intensity IV · Puerto Real 30 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 240 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 710× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.8 about 240 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 500× 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 250 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 17.9391, -66.9455. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 3 km (2 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 5 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 1.5 4 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.0 2 km W of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.6 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 5 km WNW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  7. 1.7 4 km W of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  8. 1.9 4 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.7 5 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.3 4 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.1 4 km W of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.4 5 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.5 4 km WSW 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.