List of earthquakes in Cuba
Encyclopedia
Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 is located in an area with several active fault systems which produce on average about 2000 seismic events each year. While most registered seismic events pass unnoticed, the island has been struck by a number of destructive earthquakes over the past four centuries, including several major quakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or above.

Approximately 70% of seismic activity in Cuba emanates from the Oriente fault zone
Septentrional-Oriente fault zone
The Septentrional-Orient fault zone is a system of coaxial left lateral-moving strike slip faults which runs along the northern side of the island of Hispaniola where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located...

, located in the Bartlett-Cayman fault system
Cayman Trough
The Cayman Trough, is a complex transform fault zone pull apart basin which contains a small spreading ridge on the floor of the western Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands...

 which runs along the south-eastern coast of Cuba and marks the tectonic boundary between the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...

 and the Caribbean Plate
Caribbean Plate
The Caribbean Plate is a mostly oceanic tectonic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea off the north coast of South America....

. The 12 currently active faults in Cuba also include the Cauto-Nipe, Cochinos and Nortecubana faults.
Destructive earthquakes originating from the Oriente fault occurred in 1766 (=7.6), 1852 (=7.2) and 1932 (=6.75). Some studies suggest there is a high probability the Oriente fault will produce a magnitude 7 earthquake in the near future.

List of earthquakes in Cuba

Notable earthquakes in recent Cuban history include the following:
|style width="120px"| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....


|style width="55px"| 6.8
| VIII
| 30 km
| Magnitude estimated at 6.8 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at VIII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
|style width="120px"| 1580 Cuba earthquake
|style width="70px"| 1580121900001580-12-19

|style width="120px"| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
|style width="55px"|
|
|
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1632 Cuba earthquake
| 163210000000October 1632

| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
|
|
|
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1675 Cuba earthquake
| 1675021100001675-02-11

| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 5.8
| VII
| 30 km
| Magnitude estimated at 5.8 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at VII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1678 Cuba earthquake
| 1678021100001678-02-11
14:59
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 6.8
| VIII
| 30 km
| Magnitude estimated at 6.8 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at VIII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1679 Cuba earthquake
| 1679021100001679-02-11

| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
|
|
|
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1682 Cuba earthquake
| 1682000000001682

| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 5.8
| VII
| 30 km
| Magnitude estimated at 5.8 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at VII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1693 Cuba earthquake
| 169307000000July 1693

| Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...


|
|
|
| "1,500 houses thrown down"
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1757 Cuba earthquake
| 1757121400001757-12-14

| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
|
|
|
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1766 Cuba earthquake
| 1766061100001766-06-11
05:14
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 7.6
| IX
| 35 km
| Magnitude estimated at 7.6 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at IX EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
| 120
|- style valign="top"
| 1826 Cuba earthquake
| 1826091800001826-09-18
09:26
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 5.8
| VII
| 30 km
| Magnitude estimated at 5.8 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at VII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1842 Cuba earthquake
| 1842070700001842-07-07

| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....


| 6.0
| VII
| 30 km
| Magnitude estimated at 6.0 ML on the Richter scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

, intensity at VII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1852 Cuba earthquake
| 185209214051852-08-20
14:05 UTC
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 7.2
| IX
| 30 km
| Magnitude intensity estimated at IX EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

, with 26 heavy aftershocks. Caused severe damage to Churches and other buildings in Santiago de Cuba, as well as landslides in the Sierra Maestra region. Shaking felt in the whole of eastern Cuba, up to the islands of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 and Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1852 Cuba earthquake (November)
| 1852112608371852-11-26
08:37 GMT
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

, Sierra Maestra
Sierra Maestra
Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province to Niquero in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges , which joins with others extending to the west...


| 7.0
| VIII
| 35 km
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1858 Cuba earthquake
| 1858012800001858-01-28
22:04
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....


| 6.5
| VII
| 30 km
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1880 Cuba earthquake
| 1880012300001880-01-23
04:39
| San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal, Cuba
San Cristóbal is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province of Cuba. Before 2011 belonged to Pinar del Río Province.-Demographics:In 2004, the municipality of San Cristóbal had a population of 70,830. With a total area of , it has a population density of ....

/Vuelta Abajo
Vuelta Abajo
Vuelta Abajo is a district in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It lies in the extreme western part of the island, bordered on the north by the Órganos Mountains. A great deal of tobacco is grown in the district, and "Vuelta Abajo" can also refer to the high quality type of cigar tobacco from...

 (Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is a city in Cuba. It is the capital of Pinar del Río Province.Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños.Neighborhoods in the city include La Conchita, La Coloma, Briones Montoto and Las Ovas.-History:...

)
| 6.0
| VIII
| 15 km
| A series of severe shock waves originating from western Cuba were also felt in the town of Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

 (Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

), and included a strong earthquake on 23 January 1880 in San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal, Cuba
San Cristóbal is a municipality and city in the Artemisa Province of Cuba. Before 2011 belonged to Pinar del Río Province.-Demographics:In 2004, the municipality of San Cristóbal had a population of 70,830. With a total area of , it has a population density of ....

, Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is a city in Cuba. It is the capital of Pinar del Río Province.Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños.Neighborhoods in the city include La Conchita, La Coloma, Briones Montoto and Las Ovas.-History:...

 at 4 a.m.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1903 Cuba earthquake
| 1903092200001903-09-22
08:09
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....


| 5.7
| VII
| 30 km
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1906 Cuba earthquake
| 1906062200001906-06-22
07:09
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....


| 6.2
| VII
| 30 km
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1914 Cuba earthquake
| 1914022800001914-02-28
05:19
| Gibara
Gibara
Gibara is a municipality of the Province of Holguín in the Republic of Cuba. The main city was founded on January 16, 1817. It is also known as "The White Town", . The City of Gibara possesses a rich history and own culture, in agreement to the lineage of its foundation...


| 6.2
| VII
| 32 km
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1914 Cuba earthquake
| 1914122500001914-12-25
05:19
| Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....


| 6.7
| VII
| 30 km
|
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1932 Cuba earthquake
| 1932020306161932-02-03

| 20.000°N 75.800°W
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 6.75
| VIII
|
| Intensity estimated at VIII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

. 8 - 1500 deaths, 300 injured. 80% of buildings in Santiago de Cuba affected., with damages totaling 15 million Pesos.
| 8
|- style valign="top"
| 1947 Cuba earthquake
| 1947080700401947-08-07
00:40:20 hrs
| 19.75°N 75.32°W

Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

 
| 6.8
| VIII
| 50 km
| Magnitude estimated at 6.8 ML and intensity VIII EMS-98
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

.
|
|- style valign="top"
| 1992 Cuba earthquake
| 1992052500001992-05-25
16:55:04 UTC
| 19.613°N 77.872°W
Cabo Cruz, Pilón
Pilón, Cuba
Pilón is a municipality and city in the Granma Province of Cuba. It is located on the southern coast of Cuba, in an inlet of the Caribbean Sea.-Demographics:...

Manzanillo
Manzanillo, Cuba
Manzanillo is a municipality and city in the Granma Province of Cuba.It is a port city in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba on the Gulf of Guacanayabo, near the delta of the Cauto River...


| 6.9
| VII
| 23 km
| A strong earthquake struck the Cabo Cruz sector, leaving 40 people injured and more than 820 buildings damaged in the Pilon-Manzanillo area.
|- style valign="top"
| 2010 Cuba earthquake
| 2010032000002010-03-20
18:08:09 UTC
| 19.704°N 75.302°W
Offshore Oriente Fault
Septentrional-Oriente fault zone
The Septentrional-Orient fault zone is a system of coaxial left lateral-moving strike slip faults which runs along the northern side of the island of Hispaniola where the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located...

, 50 km SSW of Guantanamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...

 
| 5.6
| V
| 16.7 km
| According to USGS: "Felt (V) at Baracoa
Baracoa
Baracoa is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was founded by the first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511...

, Guantanamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...

 and Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....

, (III) at Camagüey
Camagüey
Camagüey is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third largest city. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province.After almost continuous attacks from pirates the original city was moved inland in 1528.The new city was built with a confusing lay-out of winding alleys that made...

 and (II) at Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

. Also felt at Banes, Bayamo and Pinar del Río. Felt (II) at Half Way Tree and Mona, Jamaica. Felt in Jamaica and in parts of The Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Haiti
". The quake was followed by a 4.8 aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...

, 19:31:29 UTC of the same day. There were no reports of damages or casualties.
| -
|}


Intensity= Intensity on the European Macroseismic Scale
European Macroseismic Scale
The European Macroseismic Scale is the basis for evaluation of seismic intensity in European countries and is also used in a number of countries outside Europe...

 (EMS-98), which is somewhat similar to the Modified Mercalli scale (MM)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK