MIAMI, United States. – An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 on the Richter scale was recorded this Wednesday at 9:09 am in Eastern Cuba, according to reported the National Seismological Research Center (CENAIS).
The earthquake was located at the coordinates 19.82 degrees north latitude and -76.94 degrees west longitude, at a depth of 8.8 kilometers. Its epicenter was located 34 kilometers southwest of Bartolomé Masó and 42 kilometers southeast of Pilón, both towns in the province of Granma.
So far, CENAIS has received reports of perceptibility in several communities in the province of Granma and in the municipalities of Guamá and Santiago de Cuba, in the province of the same name. No material damage or injuries to people have been reported as a result of the phenomenon, which occurred in an area with a seismic tradition in the country.
On November 10, the same region was affected by two very intense earthquakes, with magnitudes 6 and 6.7, respectively. These events left “10 people injured and more than 8,600 homes damaged, 156 of them with total collapses and almost 6,000 with minor damage,” according to a preliminary report from the Cuban Government.
Earthquakes recorded in 2023
Last year, Cuba experienced a total of 7,475 earthquakesof which only 14 were noticeable, according to a CENAIS report.
Most of the earthquakes in the national territory were related to the fault Eastthe main area of seismic activity located south of the eastern region of Cuba. This area constitutes a tectonic plate boundary and is a constant source of telluric movements.
Additionally, significant seismic activity was recorded outside the plate boundary zone, particularly in northern Las Tunas and in the southern area of moa (Holguin). Three earthquake swarms were observed in these areas with around 500 events each, although with magnitudes less than 4 on the Richter scale.
The 14 perceptible earthquakes are geographically distributed as follows: five related to the plate boundary zone south of eastern Cuba, five within the national territory and another four with epicenters outside the country (two in Haitione in Jamaica and one north of Honduras). In all these cases, the maximum intensity felt in Cuba was III on the EMS/98 scale.
