Sarasota residents reported feeling the powerful earthquake in Cuba

Sarasota residents felt the earthquake coming from Cuba. This is why.

Sarasota residents reported feeling a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit near Cuba on Monday, June 8, with tremors reaching parts of Florida.

The USGS said it received more than 100 earthquake-related reports from the Sarasota-Manatee area.

Several Reddit users also reported feeling the quake, including one person who identified himself as a resident of Aster & Links, the luxury apartment community in downtown Sarasota on Main Street that includes two 10-story twin towers.

“We have received a small number of reports regarding minor shaking that occurred on some of the upper floors within the community this afternoon,” an email sent by Aster & Links management to residents at approximately 3:35pm on Monday.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake shakes Cuba

The earthquake struck northwest Cuba in the early afternoon, according to data from the US Geological Survey. While earthquakes are common along fault systems near Cuba, it is much less common to feel shaking hundreds of miles away in Florida. Residents in central and western Florida quickly took to social media to ask if they had just experienced an earthquake.

Originally, the USGS estimated the magnitude of the quake at 6.4 before it was revised to 6.1. Although the 6.1 magnitude earthquake is lower, it is still considered strong and capable of causing significant damage near its epicenter.

The Cuba earthquake follows a series of earthquakes that struck the Philippines today, including a 7.8-magnitude quake that killed at least 35 people after causing buildings to collapse and trigger a small tsunami.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines turns buildings into rubble

At least 32 people are feared dead following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Philippines, officials said. Large aftershocks were also reported.

Earthquake in Florida? What is the free database, the graphical map shows

What causes earthquakes?

The Earth consists of four layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. The crust and the top of the mantle form another region called the lithosphere, which acts like the skin surrounding the Earth’s surface.

However, the lithosphere is not one piece, and exists like a puzzle or a series of fragments, according to the USGS. These parts of the lithosphere are not stationary and move slowly. These are called “tectonic plates”.

When tectonic plates shift and move past each other, they sometimes collide or collide. This puts pressure on the edges of the plates. When the pressure becomes too great, it creates cracks called “flaws.” The point where these faults move against each other is called the ‘fault line’.

When there is a lot of friction between fault lines, energy is suddenly released, creating seismic waves that trigger an earthquake.

Is Florida exposed to earthquakes?

What you need to know about earthquakes

Every year, there are about 500,000 earthquakes – 100,000 of which can be felt on the Earth’s surface. But how do earthquakes work? We explain.

Just FAQ

Yes, but very rarely. Florida is not located near any tectonic plate boundaries.

Florida ties North Dakota as the state with the fewest earthquakes annually. Between 1975 and 1995, the state was one of only four states that recorded no earthquakes at all. (The others were Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.)

The closest fault line to Florida runs through the Caribbean Sea, north of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and south of Cuba toward Guatemala.

However, the state is often shaken by earthquakes strong enough to affect us even if they are not nearby. In September 2020, Santa Rosa residents were rocked by a 3.8 magnitude earthquake on the Florida/Alabama line northwest of Mount Carmel. People in Jay, East Milton and even Navarre reported feeling the ground shaking.

“I was on my couch sleeping, and (the shaking) was so intense it woke me up,” Jay resident Candice Black said. “My TV shook on the stand, and the pictures on the wall shook as well. It lasted about two to three minutes. I was so scared, I didn’t know what was happening.”

According to the USGS, nine earthquakes struck near that area the previous year, between March 7 and April 14, 2019, ranging in intensity from 1.9 to 3.1 magnitude. Before that, the region had not witnessed an earthquake in 20 years.

How likely is an earthquake in Florida?

It’s not a high risk in Florida, but in the USGS National Earthquake Hazard Model map, it’s not zero.

In the update, based on a “massive collaborative effort” from more than 50 scientists, engineers, and federal, state and local governments, most of Florida has a 5% or less chance of experiencing a devastating earthquake in the next 100 years. But the Panhandle and the northern Florida region down to a line running from Jacksonville southwest to south of Cape Coral have a 5-25% chance, the agency said.

“Earthquakes are difficult to predict, but we have made great strides with this new model,” said Mark Petersen, a USGS geophysicist and lead author of the study. “The update includes more faults, better-characterized ground surfaces, and computational advances in modeling that provide the most detailed view ever of the seismic hazards we face.”

But don’t start pulling breakable items off the shelves just yet. The new model shows greater chances of more damaging earthquakes along the Mid-Northeast Atlantic Coast Corridor, but the Sunshine State remains on the lower end of the threat spectrum.

In the detailed USGS report, “Florida” is not mentioned once.

Could an earthquake in the Atlantic or Gulf basin cause a tsunami to hit Florida?

It is possible, but not likely, that an earthquake in the Atlantic Basin will generate a tsunami that hits Florida.

Not every underwater earthquake produces a tsunami, and they usually require significant displacement of the sea floor. Even some earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6 do not generate dangerous waves.

Tsunami risk in Florida is generally low compared to the Pacific Coast. However, scientists and emergency managers say the country is not completely immune. Research suggests that underwater landslides or certain seismic events in the Caribbean could, under the right conditions, generate waves capable of reaching the Florida coast.

For Monday’s earthquake near Cuba, no warning, watch or tsunami warning has been issued. Residents who felt shaking in Florida experienced seismic waves from the earthquake itself, not from tsunami activity.

What is the largest earthquake in Florida?

In 1879, the largest earthquake recorded in Florida reached a magnitude of 4.4, and was likely epicentered in the Palatka area on the border of Putnam and Marion counties in north-central Florida. The quake was felt as far away as Tallahassee and Cedar Key. According to USGS records: “Plaster was shaken off and items were tossed from shelves at St. Augustine and further south at Daytona Beach.”

The largest earthquake to hit Florida was in 2006, a 5.9 magnitude quake in the Gulf of Mexico that shook southwest Florida and reportedly shook some buildings in Cape Coral, but did not cause major damage.

Can earthquakes be predicted?

Earthquakes cannot be predicted. Neither the USGS nor scientists have predicted a major earthquake, and there is no expectation that will change in the near future.

Are earthquakes increasing?

While it may seem that earthquakes occur more often, especially with real-time alerts and widespread media coverage, the overall rate of earthquakes has remained relatively stable over time.

According to the USGS, any given year may appear busier because of improvements in technology that allow scientists to detect more small earthquakes than in the past, not because more earthquakes are actually occurring.

Long-term global records dating back to 1900 show that the Earth experiences an average of about 16 large earthquakes (magnitude 7.0 or greater) each year – typically 15 in the 7.0 range and one magnitude 8.0 or higher. In 2024, there were 10 earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater, the strongest of which was a magnitude 7.5 in Japan.

However, the risk of earthquake vulnerability is increasing due to increased human and economic exposure and the number of assets being built in high-seismic risk areas, FEMA said in a 2023 report.

What to do during an earthquake: Get down on your hands and knees, cover your head and neck under sturdy furniture if possible, wait until the shaking stops, stay indoors unless you are near a coastal area with a known tsunami risk. What does earthquake strength mean?

Magnitude is a measure of the strength of an earthquake. Officially, it is called a torque meter. It is a logarithmic scale, which means that each number is ten times stronger than the number before it. So a 5.2 magnitude earthquake is moderate while a 6.2 magnitude earthquake is strong.

Impact magnitude below 2.5 is generally not felt. 2.5 to 5.4 Slight or no damage. 5.5 to 6.0 Slight damage to buildings 6.1 to 6.9 Serious damage 8.0 or greater Serious damage, can completely destroy communities.

Source: Michigan Technological University.

Previously, people would refer to the Richter scale to describe earthquakes, but this is no longer in common use because it was only valid in certain circumstances.

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Brandy d covers. Addison reports weather conditions across the United States as a Weather Connect correspondent for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at [email protected]. Find her on Facebook here.

CA Bridges is a journalist on the USA TODAY Network-Florida Service Press Liaison Team. You can get Florida’s best content straight to your inbox every weekday by signing up for our free newsletter, Florida TODAY.

Wade Tatangelo is executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida food and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and X. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.

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