An earthquake of historic intensity struck Cuba’s northwest coast on Monday, according to official reports, shaking parts of Cuba, Mexico and Florida that are not usually prone to earthquakes.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a magnitude of 6.1 at a shallow depth of 26 km (16 miles) and its epicenter 104 km west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, about a two- to four-hour drive from the capital Havana.
Monday’s quake was unusual for this region of the Caribbean, said Paul Earle, a USGS seismologist, noting that the quake occurred inside a tectonic plate, where earthquakes are typically more scattered and less frequent than when they occur along plate boundaries.
An earthquake of this intensity had not struck within a 200-mile (322 km) radius of Monday’s quake since 1880, when a 6.0 quake struck near San Cristobal, Cuba, Earle said.
Authorities have yet to report major damage or casualties, but the quake has sparked concern in Cuba, where decades of economic crisis have left buildings in a serious state of disrepair. Widespread and persistent power outages across the region have made communications difficult.
“It was strong. I had never felt anything like that,” said Yusmila Hernandez, 44, at her home in Pinar del Rio, in western Cuba.
“People ran outside, everyone was scared. I can’t even explain it. It was like no earthquake had ever been felt here before,” Hernandez said.
The USGS reported that shaking was also felt in Florida. In Mexico, the earthquake was felt in the tourist centers of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, on the Yucatan Peninsula. Residents and workers in downtown Cancun, unaccustomed to strong earthquakes, evacuated buildings.
Emergency protocols have been activated in the Mexican states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, but no damage has yet been reported, the governors of those states said on social media.
No tsunami warnings or watches were issued after the quake, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.
