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Quake Watch: Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Near Guánica, 82 Felt Reports

Published Sep 18, 2026 · 787 Daily · Original analysis

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 5 km southwest of Guánica on Friday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. USGS timed it at 9:19 AM.

USGS puts the depth at 7 km — shallow, which is why a quake this size is felt widely. 82 people had filed “Did You Feel It?” reports with USGS, and USGS estimates the shaking at intensity IV.

USGS’s PAGER impact estimate is green — no significant damage or casualties expected. USGS did not flag a tsunami for this event.

The nearest towns are Guánica (5 km), Cabo Rojo (27 km), Mayagüez (36 km). 32 aftershocks within 30 km had been recorded by the time of writing.

The largest was a magnitude 3.4 at 1:20 PM. The same area had 5 smaller quakes in the two days before.

The epicentre is 14 km from Indios, Guayanilla. That is where the magnitude 6.4 earthquake of January 7, 2020 struck — the largest of that sequence.

Aftershocks so far

Aftershocks within 30 km of the epicentre, newest first, as recorded by USGS at the time of writing.
TimeMagnitudeLocation
5:41 PM2.33 km SW of Guánica
4:17 PM2.34 km WSW of Fuig
3:47 PM2.30 km SW of Indios
3:40 PM2.44 km WSW of Fuig
3:28 PM3.04 km WSW of Guánica
3:24 PM2.74 km WSW of Fuig
3:14 PM2.16 km SW of Guánica
2:42 PM2.26 km SW of Guánica
2:23 PM2.84 km WSW of Guánica
2:11 PM2.16 km WSW of Fuig

Nearest towns

Distances from the USGS epicentre.
TownDistance
Guánica5 km
Cabo Rojo27 km
Mayagüez36 km

Live seismic activity near Puerto Rico is on the island dashboard. USGS’s record of this event, including revisions, is at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/pr2026261000.

This is the first Quake Watch. Source: U.S. Geological Survey event pr2026261000, read 8.7 hours after the event by 787 Daily.