QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near San Germán, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Germán in the 24 hours to 6:10 pm AST (22:10 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 12 km (7 mi) SW, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near San Germán

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) north-northeast of San Germán, PR, at 12:34 pm AST on 27 January 2023 (16:34 UTC), 14 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km NNE of San Germán, Puerto Rico

14 km (9 mi) SE of Mayagüez, PR · 107 km (66 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

12:34 pm AST, Jan 27, 2023 · · 14 km deep · released about 1,000 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Germán Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Germán Municipio 2 kmHormigueros Municipio 9 kmSabana Grande Municipio 10 kmMaricao Municipio 12 kmLas Marías Municipio 13 kmLajas Municipio 16 kmYauco Municipio 19 kmAñasco Municipio 21 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 21 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
12:34 pm AST on 27 January 2023 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) north-northeast of San Germán, PR · earthquakes near San Germán
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
San Germán Municipio, 2 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1384 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 35 km (22 mi) from the epicentre. In San Germán, 5 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 5 km, intensity III · Mayagüez 14 km, intensity II · Puerto Real 17 km, intensity II · Yauco 22 km, intensity II · Pole Ojea 23 km, intensity II · San Sebastián 24 km, intensity II · Lares 25 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,000 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 10,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,000 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 120,000 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 · 40 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 31 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 36 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 36 km W 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 18.1242, -67.0317. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Germán Municipio, PR 2 km (1 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) W earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ESE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) ENE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Las Marías Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Las Marías Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) S earthquakes near Lajas 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. 2.0 Puerto Rico region
  2. 2.5 4 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.1 2 km ESE of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.4 2 km S of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.1 2 km W of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 3 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 Mona Passage
  8. 2.2 5 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 4 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  11. 2.5 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 Mona Passage
  13. 1.9 6 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 0 km SSW of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 Puerto Rico region

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.