QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Vázquez, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Vázquez in the 24 hours to 9:02 am AST (13:02 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 30 km (19 mi) SW, at 7:09 pm AST on 5 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Vázquez

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded in Vázquez, PR, at 12:03 am AST on 24 May 2023 (04:03 UTC), 18 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 0 km S of Vázquez, Puerto Rico

42 km (26 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 28 km (17 mi) SW of Caguas, PR

12:03 am AST, May 24, 2023 · · 18 km deep · released about 590 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Vázquez Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Aibonito Municipio 8 kmCayey Municipio 10 kmSalinas Municipio 11 kmCoamo Municipio 13 kmCidra Municipio 15 kmGuayama Municipio 15 kmBarranquitas Municipio 17 kmComerío Municipio 18 kmSanta Isabel 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
12:03 am AST on 24 May 2023 ()
Where
in Vázquez, PR · earthquakes near Vázquez
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Aibonito Municipio, 8 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1267 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. 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 9 km, intensity II · Coamo 13 km, intensity II · Guayama 16 km, intensity II · Sumidero 21 km, intensity II · Santa Isabel 21 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 590 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 26,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 18,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 590 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 1,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 3 km W of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · 24 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 50 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 18.0645, -66.2387. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Aibonito Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) NNW earthquakes near Aibonito Municipio
Cayey Municipio, PR 10 km (6 mi) ENE earthquakes near Cayey Municipio
Salinas Municipio, PR 11 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) WNW earthquakes near Coamo Municipio
Cidra Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Cidra Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near Guayama Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 23 km SSE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.7 2 km E of Santa Clara, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.4 16 km S of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 8 km SSW of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  5. 3.0 1 km ENE of Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.2 12 km SSE of Arroyo, Puerto Rico
  7. 3.1 4 km WNW of Santa Clara, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.0 1 km NE of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.0 3 km NE of La Plena, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.1 2 km SW of Santa Clara, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 Puerto Rico region
  12. 2.3 8 km W of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 6 km SE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.5 2 km S of Potala Pastillo, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 3 km ESE of Salinas, 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.