M3.1 earthquake 4 km SE of Río Grande, Puerto Rico
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 4 km SE of Río Grande, Puerto Rico at 02:53 local time (06:53 UTC) on 31 Aug 2026, at a depth of 128 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-08-31 10:47 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 3.1minor
duration magnitude (md) - Depth
- 128.4 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-08-31 06:53:28 UTC
- Local: 31 Aug 2026, 02:53:28 (America/Puerto Rico)
- Epicentre
- 18.360° N, 65.802° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Río GrandePuerto Rico · pop. 13,467 | 4 km | INot felt |
| LuquilloPuerto Rico · pop. 8,326 | 9 km | INot felt |
| FajardoPuerto Rico · pop. 32,124 | 16 km | INot felt |
| CarolinaPuerto Rico · pop. 170,404 | 17 km | INot felt |
| Trujillo AltoPuerto Rico · pop. 75,243 | 22 km | INot felt |
| HumacaoPuerto Rico · pop. 20,387 | 24 km | INot felt |
| San JuanPuerto Rico · pop. 418,140 | 35 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · PR, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · PRheadlinePuerto Rico Seismic Network via U.S. Geological Survey | 3.1 md | 128.4 km | 18.36° N, 65.80° W | – | Reviewed |
How big was it?
Often felt by people at rest close to the epicentre, rarely causes damage.
It released roughly the energy of 722 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 128 km this was a intermediate-depth earthquake, which spreads shaking over a wider area but less intensely.
M3.1 releases about 34× the energy of M2.1, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 722 kg of TNT vs 21 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M2.1. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
1 later earthquake within 30 km; the largest was M3.2 24 days ago. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M3.1
1 later earthquake nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 97.63 | 3.2 | 96 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Reports close 14 days after an earthquake.
Reports on SeismoAtlas
No reports yet.
Event id pr71530423. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:14 UTC. Solutions: USGS · PR (usgs:pr71530423). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M3.1 earthquake 4 km SE of Río Grande, Puerto Rico”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/pr71530423-m3-1-earthquake-4-km-se-of-rio-grande-puerto-rico, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/pr71530423. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.