QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1md

Earthquake near Utuado, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Utuado in the 24 hours to 11:27 am AST (15:27 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 3.1 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) north-northeast of Utuado, PR, at 11:10 am AST on 17 January 2024 (15:10 UTC), 119 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km NNE of Utuado, Puerto Rico

64 km (40 mi) W of San Juan, PR · 16 km (10 mi) SSE of Arecibo, PR

11:10 am AST, Jan 17, 2024 · · 119 km deep · released about 1,400 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Utuado Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Utuado Municipio 8 kmFlorida Municipio 12 kmArecibo Municipio 12 kmJayuya Municipio 15 kmCiales Municipio 16 kmHatillo Municipio 19 kmAdjuntas Municipio 19 kmBarceloneta Municipio 19 kmManatí Municipio 22 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
11:10 am AST on 17 January 2024 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) north-northeast of Utuado, PR · earthquakes near Utuado
Magnitude
M 3.1 (md)
Depth
119 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Utuado Municipio, 8 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 957 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 Utuado, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Cayuco, La Alianza, Estancias de Florida, Bajadero, Florida, Sabana Hoyos.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,400 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 230,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 10,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 7,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,400 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.5× 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 6.4 on 2020-01-07 — about 83,000 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 · 28 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 4 km E of Moca, Puerto Rico · 44 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km N of Brenas, Puerto Rico · 39 km ENE 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 18.3275, -66.6635. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Utuado Municipio, PR 8 km (5 mi) SSW earthquakes near Utuado Municipio
Florida Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) ENE earthquakes near Florida Municipio
Arecibo Municipio, PR 12 km (7 mi) N earthquakes near Arecibo Municipio
Jayuya Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) SSE earthquakes near Jayuya Municipio
Ciales Municipio, PR 16 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near Ciales Municipio
Hatillo Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near Hatillo Municipio

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 4 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.1 6 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  3. 2.7 3 km SE of Pájaros, Puerto Rico
  4. 2.3 5 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 2 km E of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.7 0 km WSW of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.8 2 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.1 1 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.1 2 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.1 8 km NW of Coamo, Puerto Rico
  11. 2.9 8 km S of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.6 7 km SSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.3 6 km NNE of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.1 5 km WSW of Liborio Negron Torres, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.1 2 km SW of Guánica, 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.