QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near La Plena, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in La Plena in the 24 hours to 10:10 am AST (14:10 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 31 km (19 mi) SW, at 7:09 pm AST on 5 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near La Plena

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-southwest of La Plena, PR, at 3:40 am AST on 24 March 2023 (07:40 UTC), 14 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km WSW of La Plena, Puerto Rico

45 km (28 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 30 km (19 mi) SW of Caguas, PR

3:40 am AST, Mar 24, 2023 · · 14 km deep · released about 800 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near La Plena Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Salinas Municipio 8 kmCayey Municipio 12 kmAibonito Municipio 12 kmGuayama Municipio 12 kmCoamo Municipio 16 kmCidra Municipio 17 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 19 kmBarranquitas Municipio 21 kmArroyo 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
3:40 am AST on 24 March 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west-southwest of La Plena, PR · earthquakes near La Plena
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Salinas Municipio, 8 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1328 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 31 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In La Plena, 3 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: Cayey 11 km, intensity II · Guayama 13 km, intensity II · Coamo 15 km, intensity II · Santa Isabel 20 km, intensity II · Sumidero 23 km, intensity II · Río Cañas Abajo 25 km, intensity II · Jagual 29 km, intensity II · Caguas 30 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 800 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 6.7 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 19,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 13,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 800 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 5.0 on 2020-01-07 — about 1,200 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 27 km NNE 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 18.0315, -66.2298. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Salinas Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SSW earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NE earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Aibonito Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) NNW earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) ESE earthquakes near Guayama Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) WNW earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NNE earthquakes near Cidra Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 0 km S of Vázquez, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  3. 2.6 5 km SE of G. L. Garcia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.3 5 km WNW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 3 km SE of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.3 Puerto Rico region
  7. 2.2 3 km E of Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.1 8 km SSW of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  10. 2.7 7 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 5 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.0 3 km ENE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 3 km WSW of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  15. 2.9 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.