M3.4 earthquake 143 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 143 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico at 16:54 local time (20:54 UTC) on 12 Sept 2026, at a depth of 72 km, according to USGS.
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-13 12:26 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 3.4minor
duration magnitude (md) - Depth
- 72 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-12 20:54:55 UTC
- Local: 12 Sept 2026, 16:54:55 (America/Puerto Rico)
- Epicentre
- 19.583° N, 65.273° 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CulebraPuerto Rico · pop. 1,486 | 143 km | INot felt |
| LuquilloPuerto Rico · pop. 8,326 | 143 km | INot felt |
| Charlotte AmalieSaint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands · pop. 20,000 | 143 km | INot felt |
| FajardoPuerto Rico · pop. 32,124 | 145 km | INot felt |
| San JuanPuerto Rico · pop. 418,140 | 152 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 | 3.4 md | 72 km | 19.58° N, 65.27° 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 2 t 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 72 km this was a intermediate-depth earthquake, which spreads shaking over a wider area but less intensely.
M3.4 releases about 33× the energy of M2.4, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 2 t of TNT vs 60 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M2.4. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
7 later earthquakes within 30 km; the largest was M3.6 15 days ago. 2 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M3.4
7 later earthquakes nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.11 | 3.4 | 22 |
| 6.48 | 3.6 | 13 |
| 6.48 | 3.4 | 8 |
| 14.08 | 3.5 | 16 |
| 17.19 | 3.2 | 80 |
| 97.30 | 3.4 | 18 |
| 238.40 | 3.3 | 12 |
- 3.6143 km NNW of Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands09-13 03:23
- 3.5139 km NNE of Luquillo, Puerto Rico09-13 10:59
- 3.4118 km N of Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands09-16 22:12
- 3.4Vieques, Puerto Rico09-12 23:01
- 3.4133 km NNE of Loíza, Puerto Rico09-13 03:23
- 3.3135 km NNE of Loíza, Puerto Rico09-22 19:18
- 3.2124 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico09-13 14:06
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 pr71531543. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:11 UTC. Solutions: USGS · PR (usgs:pr71531543). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M3.4 earthquake 143 km N of Culebra, Puerto Rico”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/pr71531543-m3-4-earthquake-143-km-n-of-culebra-puerto-rico, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/pr71531543. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.