Rare magnitude 6.1 quake shakes Cuba, Mexico and Florida

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake off Cuba’s northwest coast sent tremors across Cuba, Mexico and South Florida, a rare jolt in a region where hurricanes are far more familiar than seismic waves. The quake struck about 104 kilometers west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, at a shallow depth of 26 kilometers, and it was strong enough to rattle residents in Havana, the Yucatan Peninsula and Miami.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred beneath the Gulf of America within the North America plate, not along a plate boundary, which is why it stood out to seismologists. Paul Earle, a USGS seismologist, called the event unusual because it happened within a tectonic plate rather than where earthquakes usually cluster. The agency also said it was the potential mainshock of an earthquake sequence and placed the chance of at least one magnitude 6 or greater aftershock in the next week at 1 percent.

The historical comparison sharpened the sense of concern. The USGS said the strongest similar event in the area dates to 1880, when a magnitude 6.0 quake struck near San Cristobal, Cuba. That earlier quake was felt in Florida and caused building damage and fatalities in Cuba, a reminder that the Caribbean’s seismic risk is uncommon but not benign. In western Cuba, where buildings are often strained by economic decline and blackouts can hamper communication, residents reported fear and confusion. One woman said, “It felt strong,” and said people ran outside in fear.

In Mexico, the shaking reached tourist centers on the Yucatan Peninsula, including Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Emergency protocols were activated in Yucatan and Quintana Roo, and residents and workers evacuated buildings. Governors said there were no immediate reports of damage, and no tsunami warning or watch was issued.

In South Florida, Miami officials reported no major injuries, significant damage or tsunami threat. Multiple calls for service came in, and Miami Fire-Rescue responded to each report. Transit in downtown Miami was briefly disrupted when Metrorail and Metromover were suspended after the Stephen P. Clark Center was evacuated. The quake did not transform the region’s hazard profile, but it did expose a basic truth: communities along the Gulf and Caribbean margins cannot assume that distance from an epicenter equals safety.