QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Yauco, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Yauco in the 24 hours to 12:51 pm AST (16:51 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 6 km (4 mi) ESE, at 4:39 pm AST on 9 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yauco

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) northwest of Yauco, PR, at 8:00 pm AST on 15 April 2023 (00:00 UTC), 18 km deep.

USGS: 2 km NW of Yauco, Puerto Rico

26 km (16 mi) WNW of Ponce, PR

8:00 pm AST, Apr 15, 2023 · · 18 km deep · released about 650 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Yauco Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Yauco Municipio 4 kmGuayanilla Municipio 9 kmSabana Grande Municipio 9 kmGuánica Municipio 13 kmPeñuelas Municipio 15 kmMaricao Municipio 15 kmAdjuntas Municipio 18 kmSan Germán Municipio 19 kmLajas Municipio 20 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
8:00 pm AST on 15 April 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) northwest of Yauco, PR · earthquakes near Yauco
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Yauco Municipio, 4 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1305 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 26 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Yauco, 3 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.

Likely felt in: Yauco 3 km, intensity II · Guayanilla 9 km, intensity II · Magas Arriba 11 km, intensity II · Tallaboa 17 km, intensity II · Tallaboa Alta 18 km, intensity II · San Germán 19 km, intensity II · Adjuntas 19 km, intensity II · Ponce 26 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 650 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 23,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 650 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 180,000 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 km NNW 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 18.0528, -66.8658. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Yauco Municipio, PR 4 km (2 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) SE earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) SSW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) ESE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 15 km (10 mi) NNW earthquakes near Maricao Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 Puerto Rico region
  2. 4.0 5 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 Puerto Rico region
  4. 2.8 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  6. 1.8 10 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.0 6 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 Puerto Rico region
  10. 2.3 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.5 14 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 4 km W of Maricao, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 7 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 3 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.9 5 km SW of Guánica, 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.