QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 5.2mb

Earthquake near Indios, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Indios in the 24 hours to 4:32 am AST (08:32 UTC). The last one was M 2.0, 3 km (2 mi) SW, at 4:21 am AST on 10 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Indios

This page: a magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) south of Indios, PR, at 8:56 am AST on 11 January 2020 (12:56 UTC), 10 km deep. 136 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 19 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico

27 km (17 mi) SW of Ponce, PR

8:56 am AST, Jan 11, 2020 · · 10 km deep · released about 950 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Indios Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Guánica Municipio 19 kmGuayanilla Municipio 20 kmPeñuelas Municipio 24 kmPonce Municipio 28 kmYauco Municipio 30 kmLajas Municipio 31 kmSabana Grande Municipio 33 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 38 kmAdjuntas Municipio 40 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
8:56 am AST on 11 January 2020 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) south of Indios, PR · earthquakes near Indios
Magnitude
M 5.2 (mb)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
136 reports · strongest reported intensity VII
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Guánica Municipio, 19 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2413 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 218 km (135 mi) from the epicentre. In Indios, 19 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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 21 km, intensity IV · Magas Arriba 22 km, intensity IV · Guayanilla 22 km, intensity IV · Yauco 24 km, intensity IV · Tallaboa Alta 27 km, intensity IV · Ponce 27 km, intensity IV · Adjuntas 38 km, intensity IV · San Germán 39 km, intensity IV. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 950 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 6.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 180× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7.9× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 5.2 about 950 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2,000× 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 63 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 17.8238, -66.7941. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Guánica Municipio, PR 19 km (12 mi) NW earthquakes near Guánica Municipio
Guayanilla Municipio, PR 20 km (13 mi) N earthquakes near Guayanilla Municipio
Peñuelas Municipio, PR 24 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Peñuelas Municipio
Ponce Municipio, PR 28 km (17 mi) NE earthquakes near Ponce Municipio
Yauco Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yauco Municipio
Lajas Municipio, PR 31 km (19 mi) WNW earthquakes near Lajas 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. 3.3 8 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  2. 3.8 Puerto Rico region
  3. 3.0 7 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.4 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.9 6 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  6. 3.6 10 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.7 1 km WSW of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
  8. 3.2 12 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  9. 3.2 11 km SSE of Guánica, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.7 11 km SSE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico
  11. 3.8 7 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  12. 2.7 10 km S of Indios, Puerto Rico
  13. 3.9 3 km SSW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  14. 4.2 3 km SW of Indios, Puerto Rico
  15. 4.1 6 km SSW of Indios, 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.