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M3.0 Earthquake near Esperanza, Puerto Rico — 12 March 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.0 was recorded near Esperanza, Puerto Rico on , with an epicentre 30 km south-southwest of Esperanza, at a focal depth of 6.7 km. It ranked as the 36th strongest of 143 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in the preceding 30 days.

3.0 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-03-12 20:03:34

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 3.0 (minor)

Focal depth: 6.7 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 17.8480, -65.5938

Location: 30 km SSW of Esperanza, Puerto Rico

Country: Puerto Rico

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake radiates roughly 415 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 135, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 15:41 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was shallower than 96% of the 4,045 earthquakes recorded in Puerto Rico in our catalogue and stronger than 75% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 17.8480, -65.5938 — 30 km south-southwest of Esperanza. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.0 earthquake 14 km west-southwest of here on 15 October 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Bajandas (34 km north-northwest), Caguas (59 km northwest), Campo Rico (63 km north-northwest) and Arroyo (63 km southwest).

Why the 7 km depth matters

At 7 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M3.0 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

30 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.9.

83 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.6 event near Cruz Bay on 04 May 2025. This M3.0 event released about 10,116 times less energy than that event.

247 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 14 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the March 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Puerto Rico during March 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico

All recorded earthquakes in Puerto Rico →

Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 2 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Esperanza?

It measured magnitude 3.0 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.0 earthquake radiates roughly 415 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Esperanza?

The focus was 7 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Esperanza earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 3.0 and a focal depth of 7 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Esperanza happen?

12 March 2026 at 20:03 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

30 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 3.9.

How often do earthquakes happen near Esperanza?

83 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 5.6 event near Cruz Bay on 04 May 2025. This M3.0 event released about 10,116 times less energy than that event.