Powerful 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Between Cuba and Jamaica

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A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck in the Caribbean on Tuesday between Cuba and Jamaica, shaking a large stretch from Florida to Mexico, according to an article by USA Today.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the initial tremor struck at 2:10 p.m. Eastern Time at the epicenter which is 86 miles northwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 87 miles west-southwest of Niquero, Cuba.

The USGS initially estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.3 before upgrading it to 7.7 with a depth relatively shallow at 6 miles beneath the surface. Said tremor was succeeded by aftershocks that have topped out at a magnitude 6.1.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially raised tsunami warning signals, stating, "hazardous tsunami waves" were possible for coasts located within 300km (186 miles) of the earthquake's epicenter. But in an update at around 20:45 GMT, the PTWC withdrew the warnings stating that any tsunami threats from the earthquake have passed and no other ones are foreseen.

Seismologist Dr Lucy Jones also posted on Twitter, "The M7.7 Jamaican quake produced sideways motion on the fault, so the tsunami risk is low."

The USGS further noted that although there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the earthquake produced very strong to severe tremors in portions of far western Jamaica, capable of moderate to heavy damage.

The agency also said moderate shaking was felt on Grand Cayman Island, while light shaking was reported on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The seismic activity was also felt in some parts of Belize and Honduras.

Cayman authorities tweeted that there were "only a few reports of structural damage to buildings" but they have opened shelters as a precaution. https://twitter.com/CINEOC/status/1222256548476604416

Meanwhile, Enrique Arango Arias, head of Cuba's National Seismological Service, said in an interview with the local media that they have not received any reports about serious damage or injuries.

The earthquake was also felt in multiple parts of Quintana Roo in Mexico, which is home to Cancun, Tulum and other popular Caribbean beach resorts, according to Governor Carlos Joaquín González.

South Florida was also affected where some offices in Miami were temporarily evacuated as a precaution.

Meanwhile, a video footage showing sinkholes swallowing large chunks of roads has circulated in social media following the string of earthquakes, Independent reported.

According to the US Geological Survey, sinkholes form in areas where the ground has no natural external surface drainage, whether naturally or caused by construction which weakens the ground around it.

Various individuals also shared their experiences during the powerful earthquake.

Stenette Davis, a psychiatrist at a Cayman Islands hospital, said she saw manhole covers blown off by the force of the quake which prompted sewage exploding into the street.

Claude Diedrick, 71, a fencing business owner in Montego Bay, said the quake felt "like I was on a bridge and like there were two or three heavy trucks and the bridge was rocking, but there were no trucks."

Belkis Guerrero, who works in a Catholic cultural center at coastal city of Santiago, in the eastern part of Cuba said he and his companions were all sitting when they felt the chairs move. "We heard the noise of everything moving around."

According to AccuWeather, this recent seismic activity is the fourth powerful magnitude-7 that has struck in the Caribbean since the year 2000. This also follows after the series of equally powerful quakes in the Caribbean since last year, particularly in the southern part of Puerto Rico that began on December 28 with a magnitude 4.7 shaker followed by a magnitude-6.4 aftershock in January 7 and a M5.2 on January 15.

With the latest Cuba-Jamaica earthquake, the sequence has already produced more than 300 aftershocks stronger magnitude-3 since last year, said the USGS.