QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 2:04 pm AST (18:04 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 35 km (22 mi) south-southwest of Ponce, PR, at 10:06 am AST on 23 February 2023 (14:06 UTC), 24 km deep.

USGS: 32 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

34 km (21 mi) SSW of Ponce, PR

10:06 am AST, Feb 23, 2023 · · 24 km deep · released about 210 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Ponce Municipio 35 kmGuayanilla Municipio 36 kmPeñuelas Municipio 37 kmGuánica Municipio 37 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 40 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 43 kmYauco Municipio 46 kmLajas Municipio 48 kmSabana Grande Municipio 51 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
10:06 am AST on 23 February 2023 ()
Where
35 km (22 mi) south-southwest of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
24 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Ponce Municipio, 35 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1357 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 it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Ponce, 35 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 210 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 72,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 51,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 4.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 210 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 580,000 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 17.6995, -66.6932. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Ponce Municipio, PR 35 km (22 mi) NNE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) N earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 37 km (23 mi) NW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 40 km (25 mi) NNE earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 43 km (27 mi) NE earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 3 km ESE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.2 2 km NE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 3 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.3 1 km W of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 8 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.6 2 km SSE of Yauco, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 Puerto Rico region
  8. 2.4 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.2 4 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.4 5 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.6 2 km WNW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.5 2 km NNW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 3 km W of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 1 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 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.