QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1md

Earthquake near Guánica, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Guánica in the 24 hours to 9:09 am AST (13:09 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 13 km (8 mi) ENE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Guánica

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) south of Guánica, PR, at 10:07 pm AST on 30 October 2022 (02:07 UTC), 6.8 km deep.

USGS: 21 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico

38 km (24 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

10:07 pm AST, Oct 30, 2022 · · 6.8 km deep · released about 1,300 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 19 kmLajas Municipio 27 kmGuayanilla Municipio 28 kmPeñuelas Municipio 33 kmSabana Grande Municipio 34 kmYauco Municipio 34 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 38 kmSan Germán Municipio 39 kmPonce Municipio 40 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
10:07 pm AST on 30 October 2022 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) south of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 3.1 (md)
Depth
6.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 19 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1472 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 41 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Guánica, 21 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: Yauco 29 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 29 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 30 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 31 km, intensity II · San Germán 37 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 37 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 37 km, intensity II · Ponce 39 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,300 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 11,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,900× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,300 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.4× 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 89,000 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 17.7787, -66.9025. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) N earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 33 km (21 mi) NE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near Yauco Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 0 km NE of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 2 km SW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.2 7 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 1.8 3 km NE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 2 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 3 km SW of Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 2 km SE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 Puerto Rico region
  10. 2.3 3 km NNE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 2 km E of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 10 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.0 1 km WNW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 5 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 5 km SSE of Guánica, 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.