QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3md

Earthquake near Arecibo, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Arecibo in the 24 hours to 10:15 am AST (14:15 UTC). The last one was M 3.4, 49 km (31 mi) NW, at 9:00 pm AST on 27 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Arecibo

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 38 km (23 mi) northeast of Arecibo, PR, at 11:52 am AST on 4 July 2023 (15:52 UTC), 67 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 31 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico

59 km (37 mi) NW of San Juan, PR · 41 km (25 mi) NE of Arecibo, PR

11:52 am AST, Jul 4, 2023 · · 67 km deep · released about 1.4 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Arecibo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Barceloneta Municipio 31 kmManatí Municipio 33 kmVega Baja Municipio 34 kmVega Alta Municipio 38 kmDorado Municipio 39 kmArecibo Municipio 39 kmFlorida Municipio 42 kmToa Baja Municipio 45 kmHatillo Municipio 46 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
11:52 am AST on 4 July 2023 ()
Where
38 km (23 mi) northeast of Arecibo, PR · earthquakes near Arecibo
Magnitude
M 3.3 (md)
Depth
67 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Barceloneta Municipio, 31 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1159 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 Arecibo, 38 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 1.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 120,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.9× more

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 4.8 on 2017-08-18 — about 170 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 61 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico · 47 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 21 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 78 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 47 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 64 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico · 33 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 66 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 39 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 18.7428, -66.4982. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Barceloneta Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) SSW earthquakes near Barceloneta Municipio
Manatí Municipio, PR 33 km (21 mi) S earthquakes near Manatí Municipio
Vega Baja Municipio, PR 34 km (21 mi) SSE earthquakes near Vega Baja Municipio
Vega Alta Municipio, PR 38 km (24 mi) SSE earthquakes near Vega Alta Municipio
Dorado Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) SE earthquakes near Dorado Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 39 km (24 mi) SSW earthquakes near Arecibo 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. 2.8 26 km NNE of Isabela, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.5 3 km WSW of Manatí, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.9 35 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.8 20 km N of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 16 km NNW of Camuy, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.5 39 km N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 11 km N of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.3 Puerto Rico region
  9. 3.7 63 km N of Hatillo, Puerto Rico
  10. 3.0 Puerto Rico region
  11. 3.1 52 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.4 52 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.2 55 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico
  14. 3.1 15 km NNE of Carrizales, Puerto Rico
  15. 3.4 48 km N of Hatillo, 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.