PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Cuba early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was centered about 30 miles south-southwest of Maisí, Cuba, and occurred at a depth of about 7 miles, according to the USGS. The earthquake struck at 12:28 a.m.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami was not expected.
The earthquake occurred near the Septentrional–Oriente fault zone, a major earthquake-producing fault system in the northern Caribbean. The fault marks part of the boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates and runs from southeastern Cuba eastward along the northern side of Hispaniola, including Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Scientists describe the Septentrional fault as one of the region’s principal strike-slip faults, where blocks of the Earth’s crust slide past each other horizontally. USGS research has identified it as a likely source of large earthquakes in Hispaniola, and paleoseismic studies suggest some segments have gone hundreds of years without a ground-rupturing event.
The broader Septentrional–Oriente system has produced major earthquakes before, including a magnitude 7.7 event in 2020 between Cuba and Jamaica.
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