MIAMI — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck beneath the Gulf of Mexico off western Cuba on Monday, shaking parts of Florida, Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The agency described it as the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the Gulf since records began around 1950.
The quake hit at about 2 p.m. EDT, centered roughly 65 miles (104 kilometers) west-northwest of Mantua, on the northwestern side of Cuba, at a depth of about 16 miles (26 kilometers), according to the USGS. The agency initially reported a slightly higher magnitude before revising it to 6.1.
It was one of only about six earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater recorded in the Gulf since 1950, the USGS said. William Barnhart, a geophysicist with the agency, called the event extremely rare. No tsunami was generated, and forecasters said no tsunami threat was expected.
Shaking was felt across much of Florida, with felt reports reaching Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Melbourne and as far north as Jacksonville, according to the National Weather Service's Miami office. The USGS said it received roughly 5,000 felt reports from across the region, including Havana and parts of Mexico's Yucatan such as Cancun and Merida.
As of Monday evening, no injuries or major damage had been reported. The USGS classified the risk of fatalities as low. A warning coordination meteorologist at the NWS Miami office said no reports of damage had been received in South Florida.
In Miami-Dade County, several buildings were evacuated as a precaution, including the Stephen P. Clark Government Center and the Dadeland Metrorail Station, officials said. The county said it activated standard protocols out of an abundance of caution and advised residents to prepare for possible aftershocks and to monitor official sources.
Concern was heightened in Cuba, where long-running economic difficulties have left some buildings in poor condition and where blackouts complicated communications, according to news accounts. Emergency protocols were also activated in Mexico's Yucatan and Quintana Roo states.
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