QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 5.6mww

Earthquake near Tallaboa, PR

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Tallaboa in the last 24 hours. M 2.3, 6 km (4 mi) W of Tallaboa, at 7:05 pm AST on 12 November 2026 (23:05 UTC); the estimated shaking in Tallaboa was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Tallaboa

This page: a magnitude 5.6 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) south of Tallaboa, PR, at 4:34 am AST on 7 January 2020 (08:34 UTC), 10 km deep. 8 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 11 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico

16 km (10 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

4:34 am AST, Jan 7, 2020 · · 10 km deep · released about 3.8 kilotons of TNT

Every earthquake near Tallaboa Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guayanilla Municipio 15 kmPeñuelas Municipio 15 kmPonce Municipio 17 kmGuánica Municipio 22 kmYauco Municipio 26 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 27 kmSabana Grande Municipio 32 kmAdjuntas Municipio 32 kmLajas Municipio 35 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
4:34 am AST on 7 January 2020 ()
Where
11 km (7 mi) south of Tallaboa, PR · earthquakes near Tallaboa
Magnitude
M 5.6 (mww)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
8 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guayanilla Municipio, 15 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 326 days ago

This was a moderate earthquake. Shaking at this size can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 277 km (172 mi) from the epicentre. In Tallaboa, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity V (moderate). 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: Tallaboa 11 km, intensity V · Magas Arriba 15 km, intensity V · Guayanilla 16 km, intensity V · Ponce 17 km, intensity V · Tallaboa Alta 18 km, intensity V · Yauco 21 km, intensity V · Adjuntas 30 km, intensity V · Río Cañas Abajo 31 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 3.8 kilotons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 6.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 45× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 5.6 about 3.8 kilotons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 7,900× 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 16 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 17.8919, -66.7217. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) NNW earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 15 km (9 mi) N earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 17 km (11 mi) NE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Guánica Municipio, PR 22 km (14 mi) WNW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 27 km (17 mi) ENE earthquakes near Juana Díaz 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. 2.7 7 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.9 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.7 10 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 1.9 7 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.2 1 km SSW of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico
  6. 4.1 7 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.6 6 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  8. 2.3 2 km SE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.4 Puerto Rico region
  10. 2.9 13 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.3 4 km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  12. 1.9 3 km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 1.8 10 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.6 6 km SE of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.3 5 km SW of Tallaboa, 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.