5.0

M5.0 Earthquake 63 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto RicoNovember 17, 2022

2022-11-17 11:48:26 UTC (2022-11-17) · approx. 7:48 AM UTC-4 local

Felt by 101 people across surrounding communities.

MagnitudeM5.0(ml)
Time11:48 UTC7:48 AM UTC-4
Depth4.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates19.037°, -67.291°
Felt by101DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On November 17, 2022 at 11:48 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 63 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico, at a depth of 4.0 km and coordinates 19.0370°, -67.2915°. This earthquake was detected by 26 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 450, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Puerto Rico, a region characterized by the Puerto Rico Trench oblique subduction zone and the Muertos Trough, with complex Caribbean–North American plate interactions. The nearest mapped fault system is the Puerto Rico Trench. View all earthquakes in Puerto Rico.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 19.04°, -67.29°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 101 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.0 earthquake near 63 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.0 ml
Depth
4.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
19.0370°N
-67.2915°E
Felt Reports
101
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
6.5
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
pr2022321001
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
450
Stations Used
26
Azimuthal Gap
217.0°
Min Station Distance
0.597°
RMS Residual
0.33 sec
Last Updated
2024-11-01 18:38:28 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near San Antonio, Puerto Rico?

The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 63 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico on November 17, 2022 at 11:48 UTC had a depth of 4.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 19.0370°, -67.2915°, which is 63 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto Rico. View all earthquakes in Puerto Rico.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Has Puerto Rico had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Puerto Rico was the M7.3 offshore earthquake of October 11, 1918. Today's magnitude 5.0 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2022321001). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, November 17, 2022). M5.0 Earthquake 63 km NNW of San Antonio, Puerto RicoNovember 17, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2022321001/