3.9

M3.9 Earthquake 19 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico — October 3, 2026

2026-10-03 10:35:38 UTC (2 days ago) · approx. 6:35 AM UTC-4 local

Felt by 11 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM3.9(md)
Time10:35 UTC≈ 6:35 AM UTC-4
Depth6.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates18.446°, -67.398°
Felt by11DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On October 3, 2026 at 10:35 UTC, a magnitude 3.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 19 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico, at a depth of 6.0 km and coordinates 18.4461°, -67.3978°. This earthquake was detected by 25 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 231, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 9.0 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 273 m — 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 18.45°, -67.40°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 11 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 M3.9 earthquake near 19 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
3.9 md
Depth
6.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
18.4461°N
-67.3978°E
Felt Reports
11
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
3.1
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
pr2026276000
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
231
Stations Used
25
Azimuthal Gap
170.0°
Min Station Distance
0.287°
RMS Residual
0.29 sec
Last Updated
2026-10-03 19:08:58 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 3.9 earthquake near Rincón, Puerto Rico?

The magnitude 3.9 earthquake that struck 19 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2026 at 10:35 UTC had a depth of 6.0 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 18.4461°, -67.3978°, which is 19 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico. View all earthquakes in Puerto Rico.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.9 earthquakes can continue for several days 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 3.9 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: pr2026276000). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, October 3, 2026). M3.9 Earthquake 19 km NW of Rincón, Puerto Rico — October 3, 2026. Retrieved October 3, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/pr2026276000/