QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Utuado, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Utuado in the 24 hours to 12:09 pm AST (16:09 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 40 km (25 mi) SSW, at 3:58 pm AST on 31 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Utuado

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) south of Utuado, PR, at 4:56 am AST on 7 July 2023 (08:56 UTC), 8.7 km deep.

USGS: 5 km S of Utuado, Puerto Rico

25 km (16 mi) NNW of Ponce, PR

4:56 am AST, Jul 7, 2023 · · 8.7 km deep · released about 46 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Utuado Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Utuado Municipio 6 kmAdjuntas Municipio 7 kmJayuya Municipio 12 kmLares Municipio 19 kmPeñuelas Municipio 21 kmCiales Municipio 22 kmYauco Municipio 22 kmFlorida Municipio 23 kmArecibo Municipio 25 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
4:56 am AST on 7 July 2023 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) south of Utuado, PR · earthquakes near Utuado
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
8.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Utuado Municipio, 6 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1223 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Utuado, 6 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: Adjuntas 6 km, intensity II · Jayuya 11 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 46 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 330,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 230,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 21× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 46 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 2,600,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 12 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico · 41 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 50 km NE 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 18.2128, -66.6995. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Utuado Municipio, PR 6 km (4 mi) N earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Adjuntas Municipio, PR 7 km (4 mi) WSW earthquakes near Adjuntas Municipio
Jayuya Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) E earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio
Lares Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lares Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 21 km (13 mi) S earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 22 km (13 mi) ENE earthquakes near Ciales Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 3 km E of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.6 7 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.3 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 10 km SSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.0 8 km ESE of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.5 0 km NE of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.1 6 km WSW of Gu?nica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 0 km SSE of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.3 0 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.8 Puerto Rico region
  11. 2.6 2 km ESE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.8 19 km N of Garrochales, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.8 5 km SSW of Capitanejo, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.7 21 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 5 km SE of Maria Antonia, 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.