QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Mayagüez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Mayagüez in the 24 hours to 8:55 pm AST (00:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 25 km (15 mi) SSE, at 3:17 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Mayagüez

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) south-southwest of Mayagüez, PR, at 9:14 am AST on 14 May 2023 (13:14 UTC), 11 km deep.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

39 km (24 mi) SSW of Mayagüez, PR · 141 km (87 mi) WSW of San Juan, PR

9:14 am AST, May 14, 2023 · · 11 km deep · released about 650 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Mayagüez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cabo Rojo Municipio 17 kmLajas Municipio 27 kmHormigueros Municipio 33 kmSan Germán Municipio 36 kmGuánica Municipio 38 kmSabana Grande Municipio 41 kmAñasco Municipio 48 kmMaricao Municipio 49 kmYauco Municipio 50 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
9:14 am AST on 14 May 2023 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) south-southwest of Mayagüez, PR · earthquakes near Mayagüez
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
11 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cabo Rojo Municipio, 17 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1277 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 29 km (18 mi) from the epicentre. In Mayagüez, 39 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: Pole Ojea 14 km, intensity II · Puerto Real 24 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 in our catalogue was M 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 180,000 times the energy of this one.

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 17.8732, -67.2702. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cabo Rojo Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Cabo Rojo Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 33 km (21 mi) NNE earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
San Germán Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) NE earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 38 km (23 mi) ENE earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 41 km (26 mi) NE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 7 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.3 5 km W of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.3 31 km WSW of Stella, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.5 20 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 5 km WSW of Gu?nica, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.1 5 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.4 3 km WSW of Fuig, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 4 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  10. 2.4 4 km E of La Parguera, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.8 1 km NW of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.4 6 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  14. 2.1 2 km WSW of Indios, 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.