QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near San Germán, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in San Germán in the 24 hours to 4:26 pm AST (20:26 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 12 km (7 mi) SW, at 11:57 pm AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near San Germán

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) southeast of San Germán, PR, at 3:05 am AST on 7 January 2024 (07:05 UTC), 23 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SE of San Germán, Puerto Rico

43 km (27 mi) W of Ponce, PR · 20 km (12 mi) SE of Mayagüez, PR

3:05 am AST, Jan 7, 2024 · · 23 km deep · released about 40 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Germán Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Germán Municipio 5 kmSabana Grande Municipio 8 kmLajas Municipio 9 kmHormigueros Municipio 13 kmMaricao Municipio 16 kmGuánica Municipio 17 kmYauco Municipio 18 kmCabo Rojo Municipio 18 kmLas Marías Municipio 19 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
3:05 am AST on 7 January 2024 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) southeast of San Germán, PR · earthquakes near San Germán
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Germán Municipio, 5 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1040 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In San Germán, 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Lajas, Palmarejo, Sabana Eneas, Sabana Grande, Liborio Negron Torres, Monte Grande.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 40 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 5.8 380,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 270,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 24× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 40 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 3,000,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.3 6 km WNW of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico · 47 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 38 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 19 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 39 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 21 km SW of Stella, Puerto Rico · 39 km WNW 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 18.0622, -67.0238. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Germán Municipio, PR 5 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Germán Municipio
Sabana Grande Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sabana Grande Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 9 km (6 mi) S earthquakes near Lajas Municipio
Hormigueros Municipio, PR 13 km (8 mi) NW earthquakes near Hormigueros Municipio
Maricao Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) NE earthquakes near Maricao Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 17 km (10 mi) SE earthquakes near Guánica 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. 2.2 0 km NNW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.5 5 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.6 9 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.6 17 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.6 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.0 10 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 9 km S of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.5 3 km NE of Lluveras, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.5 0 km WNW of Palomas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.7 1 km SSW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.4 1 km NW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  12. 3.3 6 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.5 8 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.9 8 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 1 km NNW of Guayanilla, 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.