Major earthquake shakes Caribbean, tsunami threat subsides for islands
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A Tsunami Advisory was in effect for Puerto Rico and nearby islands for part of Saturday evening after a powerful earthquake struck between Honduras and the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Sea.The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, prompted authorities to warn of potential sea-level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could pose a hazard to boaters and beachgoers.
No damage was reported in the immediate aftermath of the major quake which was centered more than 100 miles southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center, the largest water rise reported occurred on a Mexican island off the coast of the Yucatán.
An observation site at Isla Mujeres recorded a 1.2-inch increase in sea level, and while this might sound insignificant, the event is still classified as a tsunami, according to the NTWC.
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The USGS reported that light shaking may have been felt across the Caribbean, from the Yucatán Peninsula through Nicaragua and Honduras, and possibly as far north as the southern coast of Cuba.
Emergency management agencies throughout Central America and the Caribbean did not report any injuries in the immediate hours after the event.
The fault line that runs near the islands is known as Cayman Trough and marks the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates.
Aftershocks can last for months or even years after the main event, but according to the USGS, the earthquakes are usually not as strong as the original quake.
Tsunamis are rare in the Caribbean because fault lines typically do not displace large amounts of seawater.
According to the University of the West Indies, experts are only aware of ten significant earthquake-generated tsunamis that have occurred over the past 500 years.
7 Facts About Earthquakes
Earthquakes are common in the Caribbean, with some events even being catastrophic for island nations.In 2021, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, causing significant damage to infrastructure, though the densely populated city of Port-au-Prince was largely spared from damage.The same nation was devastated in 2010 by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake but due to the event's shallow depth and its epicenter near the capital, more than 200,000 people were reported killed, according to the United Nations.In 2020, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred off the coast of Jamaica, with shaking felt from Central America to South Florida, but there were no reports of major damage.Original article source: Major earthquake shakes Caribbean, tsunami threat subsides for islands
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