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United States · Puerto Rico

M3.1 Earthquake near Ponce, Puerto Rico (United States)

UTC time: 2026-09-20 07:53:04 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.1 earthquake was recorded near Ponce, Puerto Rico (United States) on September 20, 2026 at 07:53 UTC. With a focal depth of about 14 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage.

The event was recorded by USGS. United States: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 181 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.3.

Details

ID
59a99ac77b85c218e32963f89c558293bdc34be5
Magnitude
M3.1
Depth
14.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-20 07:53:04 UTC
Local time
—
Country
United States
State
Puerto Rico
City
Ponce
County
Ponce
Source
usgs
Coordinates
17.95133, -66.60150
Temperature
25.7°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 14 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 14 km
Shallow
14 km
14 km — close to the regional average (15.2 km)
Regional average: 15.2 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Saba
    Distance: 359 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 887 m ·Last eruption: 1640 ·Netherlands
  • Quill, The
    Distance: 389 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 601 m ·Last eruption: 250 ·Netherlands
  • Liamuiga
    Distance: 408 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'156 m ·Last eruption: 160 ·Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Nevis Peak
    Distance: 436 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 985 m ·Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Soufriere Hills
    Distance: 489 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 915 m ·Last eruption: 2013 ·United Kingdom

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Mercedita International AirportPuerto Rico · PSE · TJPS
    7.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-21

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Puerto Rico

Context for this earthquake

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 91 Catalogue entries

Of 90 other entries for this area and period, 68 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · United States

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · United States

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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