A strong earthquake in the southern Gulf off Cuba was felt in parts of South Florida and the rest of the state. NBC6’s Cherney Amhara reports
A strong earthquake in the southern Gulf off Cuba was felt in parts of South Florida and the rest of the state on Monday.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6.1 magnitude quake happened about 65 miles west-northwest of Mantua, on the northwest side of Cuba, just after 2 p.m.
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The earthquake was reportedly felt in parts of Miami, Tampa and other areas of Florida.
Multiple buildings in Miami were apparently evacuated due to shaking, including Miami-Dade’s Stephen P. Clark Government Center and the Dadeland Metrorail Station.
“I felt the ground shaking and felt the monitor moving back and forth, and I wasn’t sure I’m like is this my imagination or is this really happening,” said Elisabell Gamboa, one of the evacuees. “But then that’s when I heard everyone needs to evacuate. It happened twice but I felt it once.”
“Minor tremors from an earthquake in the Gulf, SW of Cuba have been felt in South Florida. There is no cause for alarm,” the Miami Beach Fire Department posted on X.
Officials with the City of Miami said seismic activity was reportedly felt in several areas throughout the city, prompting multiple calls for service.
“Miami Fire-Rescue has responded to each reported incident. At this time, no significant injuries or major property damage have been reported, and all calls have been handled without further issue,” city officials said in a statement. “The situation remains stable, and the City will continue coordinating with appropriate agencies while monitoring for any additional impacts.”
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said they received four calls possibly related to high-rise buildings shaking that were investigated, but there were no reported injuries and the calls were cleared.
The National Weather Service in Miami said there was no tsunami threat expected from the earthquake.
Update: Shaking has been felt across much of Florida in the aftermath of the 6.1 magnitude quake just west of Cuba.
*NO* tsunami threat is expected from the earthquake. https://t.co/v8qFN0vbs8 pic.twitter.com/qJBSOGE5PR
William Barnhart, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, described Monday’s earthquake as extremely rare. It’s the largest earthquake ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico with modern instruments, which date back to the 1950s.
“It’s one of only five or six earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater that we’re aware of in the entire Gulf.”
No tsunami was created by this earthquake. Barnhart pointed out that the destructive ocean waves created by earthquakes and other underwater disturbances are more common in the Pacific Ocean, but they can occur in the Atlantic. Western Cuba might experience some strong aftershocks, but they’re unlikely to be felt in Florida, Barnhart said.
“There’s always a very, very small chance that this could be followed by a larger earthquake and people would feel that,” Barnhart said. “But in Florida, people shouldn’t expect to feel very much shaking, if any shaking at all, from any aftershocks that happen.”
The Oriente fault zone is located just off Cuba’s southeast coast and has unleashed damaging earthquakes in recent centuries, including a 7.7 magnitude quake in January 2020 in open waters that caused damage in Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
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