Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.1md
Earthquake near Esperanza, PR
Yes. A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) southeast of Esperanza, PR, at 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026 (09:44 UTC), 25 km deep. 5 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 21 km SE of Esperanza, Puerto Rico
91 km (57 mi) ESE of San Juan, PR
- When
- 5:44 am AST on 28 October 2026 ()
- Where
- 21 km (13 mi) southeast of Esperanza, PR · earthquakes near Esperanza
- Magnitude
- M 4.1 (md)
- Depth
- 25 km below the surface
- Felt
- 5 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- Vieques Municipio, 21 km NNW
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2 hours ago
Earthquake alerts for Esperanza, PR
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Esperanza, PR. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 99 km (62 mi) from the epicentre. In Esperanza, 21 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: Esperanza 21 km, intensity III · Isabel Segunda 24 km, intensity III · Culebra 39 km, intensity III · Aguas Claras 47 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 19 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.1 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 8,800× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 390× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 280× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.1 about 19 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 40× 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 4.8 on 2021-10-08 — about 12 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 17.9548, -65.3388. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vieques Municipio, PR | 21 km (13 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Vieques Municipio |
| Culebra Municipio, PR | 41 km (26 mi) | N | earthquakes near Culebra Municipio |
| Ceiba Municipio, PR | 45 km (28 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Ceiba Municipio |
| Naguabo Municipio, PR | 51 km (32 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Naguabo Municipio |
| Humacao Municipio, PR | 51 km (32 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Humacao Municipio |
| Fajardo Municipio, PR | 55 km (34 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Fajardo Municipio |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
1 earthquake has been recorded within 50 km since this one.
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.
Revisions
USGS refines a solution as more stations report. Every change we have seen is listed here.
| What changed | From | To | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| reported intensity | 2.7 | 4.1 |
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.