6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Near Cuba Sends Shaking Into Southwest Florida

Flavia Pupo was managing her hotel in Pinar del Río, Cuba, on Monday afternoon when the building began to shake. "Everyone here is OK," she said by telephone. "The people on the street are a little bit scared."

They had reason to be. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck in waters just west of Havana at roughly midday, rattling buildings across Cuba's capital and sending tremors northward across the Florida Straits — far enough that residents in southwestern Florida reported feeling the ground move.

The U.S. Geological Survey placed the quake at a depth of six miles in open water near western Cuba. The National Weather Service said it received reports of shaking across southwestern Florida between 1:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Monday. No injuries or structural damage were immediately reported on either side of the Straits.

No tsunami was expected, forecasters said.

Cuba sits in one of the Caribbean's more seismically active regions. The Oriente fault zone, located off the island's southeast coast, has produced damaging earthquakes for centuries — most recently a 7.7 magnitude event in January 2020 that caused property damage in Cuba and the Cayman Islands. Monday's quake originated on the island's western end, near Havana, a less historically active zone.

While the Treasure Coast — including Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties — sits well north of the most intense shaking reported Monday, the event is a reminder that Florida's proximity to Caribbean seismic zones means distant earthquakes can occasionally be felt here. Residents with concerns about structural damage are encouraged to contact local building and safety offices.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.