QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near Potala Pastillo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Potala Pastillo in the 24 hours to 11:31 am AST (15:31 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) NW, at 10:09 am AST on 7 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Potala Pastillo, PR, at 3:35 pm AST on 11 February 2023 (19:35 UTC), 12 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico

13 km (8 mi) ESE of Ponce, PR

3:35 pm AST, Feb 11, 2023 · · 12 km deep · released about 950 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Potala Pastillo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Juana Díaz Municipio 5 kmPonce Municipio 12 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 13 kmVillalba Municipio 20 kmCoamo Municipio 23 kmPeñuelas Municipio 25 kmSalinas Municipio 26 kmJayuya Municipio 30 kmOrocovis Municipio 30 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
3:35 pm AST on 11 February 2023 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Potala Pastillo, PR · earthquakes near Potala Pastillo
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Juana Díaz Municipio, 5 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1369 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 Potala Pastillo, 4 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: Río Cañas Abajo 10 km, intensity III · Santa Isabel 11 km, intensity III · Ponce 14 km, intensity II · Coamo 21 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 22 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 23 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 28 km, intensity II · Jayuya 31 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 950 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 6.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 950 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 130,000 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 17.9537, -66.5083. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Villalba Municipio, PR 20 km (12 mi) N earthquakes near Villalba Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 23 km (14 mi) NE earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 25 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 5 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.2 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.0 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.4 0 km E of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.3 4 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.2 Puerto Rico region
  8. 2.0 4 km SW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  9. 1.9 1 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 8 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 6 km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.9 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 6 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.1 7 km SE of Maria Antonia, 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.