MIAMI, United States. – The year 2024 closed with an unprecedented record of 12,806 earthquakes in the national territory, according to the summary of seismicity released this Sunday by Enrique Arango Arias, head of the National Seismological Service of Cuba, attached to the National Center for Seismological Research (CENAIS).
The figure, the highest to date, responds mainly to three large-magnitude earthquakes that occurred between November and December.
According to Arango Arias, “2024 has been the year in which the greatest number of earthquakes has been recorded by the National Seismological Service of Cuba in the national territory (12,806).” The report specifies that on November 10 Two earthquakes occurred, of magnitude 6.0 and 6.7.about 40 kilometers southeast of Pilón, in the province of Granma, and on December 23 another earthquake of 6.1 magnitude south of the municipality of Guamá, in Santiago de Cuba.
As a consequence of these events, 8,873 aftershocks were recorded – after the earthquakes of November 10 – and 446 after the 6.1 earthquake on December 23. According to the expert, “given the magnitude of these earthquakes, the aftershocks will continue, which is totally normal, although they should decrease in quantity and magnitude over time.”
Regarding perceptible seismicity, the National Seismological Service of Cuba officially reported 20 earthquakes in its information bulletins. However, the number of “probably perceptible” earthquakes rose to 143 until December 31, since it was “assumed that earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 2.5 were felt by the people who live in the places closest to these epicenters.” .
Additionally, the CENAIS report includes an assessment of the intensities of the 6.7 earthquake on November 10. In towns such as Pilón, Bartolomé Masó and surrounding areas, the intensity reached VIII degrees on the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS/1998), while other municipalities recorded intensities between V and VII degrees. “All of the damage is a consequence of the existing vulnerabilities,” said Arango Arias.
Likewise, he explained that the two strong earthquakes on November 10 were perceived “by 100% of the residents surveyed, causing panic in many of them.”
