6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off Cuba, tremors felt in Florida

Havana: A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of western Cuba on Monday, with tremors felt across Havana and parts of Florida, including as far north as Orlando. No injuries or damage have been reported so far.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred at a depth of 26 kilometres (16 miles), about 104 kilometres northwest of Mantua, Cuba.

The National Weather Service in Miami confirmed reports of shaking across southwestern Florida, while residents described brief but noticeable tremors in multiple cities.

In western Cuba’s Pinar del Río region, hotel staff reported mild panic as buildings swayed during the quake. “Everyone here is OK, but people on the streets were a bit scared,” said a hotel manager, adding that the shaking lasted only a short time.

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In Florida, residents described unusual vibrations in buildings. A Fort Lauderdale office worker said she initially mistook the movement for construction activity before realizing it was an earthquake.

Officials in Miami-Dade County carried out precautionary evacuations in several government buildings, including a 28-storey administrative tower, while commuter rail services in downtown Miami were temporarily suspended.

Despite the widespread tremors, authorities confirmed there was no tsunami threat following the earthquake.

USGS geophysicists described the event as highly unusual, noting that it was among the strongest earthquakes recorded in the Gulf of Mexico since modern monitoring began in the 1950s. Experts added that only a handful of earthquakes above magnitude 5 have been recorded in the region.

Seismologists noted that the quake occurred within the interior of a tectonic plate rather than along a plate boundary, making it relatively rare, though not unprecedented. While aftershocks may occur near western Cuba, experts said they are unlikely to cause significant shaking in Florida.

The Caribbean region, like the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences seismic activity along a smaller tectonic boundary, although Monday’s quake occurred away from this active zone, prompting further scientific observation.

The earthquake came on the same day as a separate magnitude 7.8 quake in the Philippines, highlighting ongoing global seismic activity across different tectonic settings.