QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

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 2.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Guánica, PR, at 10:10 pm AST on 16 December 2022 (02:10 UTC), 9.4 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico

38 km (23 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 33 km (20 mi) SSE of Mayagüez, PR

10:10 pm AST, Dec 16, 2022 · · 9.4 km deep · released about 460 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Guánica Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 6 kmLajas Municipio 7 kmSabana Grande Municipio 15 kmSan Germán Municipio 19 kmYauco Municipio 20 kmGuayanilla Municipio 20 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 22 kmMaricao Municipio 25 kmHormigueros Municipio 25 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
10:10 pm AST on 16 December 2022 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) west-southwest of Guánica, PR · earthquakes near Guánica
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
9.4 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 6 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1426 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 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Guánica, 8 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: San Germán 16 km, intensity II · Yauco 16 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 21 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 22 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 23 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 460 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 33,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 23,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.1× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 460 lb of TNT

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 260,000 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 48 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 17.9497, -66.9765. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) E earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 7 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) NE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 3 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.0 Mona Passage
  3. 2.7 1 km NE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.2 2 km WNW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 6 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 10 km S of Gu?nica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.3 7 km WSW of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 6 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.1 4 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  10. 1.9 2 km W of Indios, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  12. 2.3 5 km WNW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.2 0 km NE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 3 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 1.8 1 km SSW 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.