Cuba is located in an area with several active fault systems which produce on average about 2000 seismic events each year.[1] 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, located in the Bartlett-Cayman fault system which runs along the south-eastern coast of Cuba and marks the tectonic boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate.[2] 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).[3] Some studies suggested there is a high probability the Oriente fault would produce a magnitude 7 earthquake,[4] this happening in January 2020, with a magnitude of 7.7, the highest registered in this country's history.Notable earthquakes in recent Cuban history include the following:
| Name | Date | Epicentre | M | Intensity | Depth | Notes | Deaths | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style width="120px" | 1578 Cuba earthquake | style width="70px" | August 1578 | style width="120px" | Santiago de Cuba | style width="55px" | 6.8 | VIII | 30 km | Magnitude estimated at 6.8 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at VIII EMS-98. | |
| style width="120px" | 1580 Cuba earthquake | style width="70px" | 1580-12-19 | style width="120px" | Santiago de Cuba[5] | style width="55px" | |||||
| 1632 Cuba earthquake | October 1632 | Santiago de Cuba[6] | |||||||||
| 1675 Cuba earthquake | 1675-02-11 | Santiago de Cuba[7] | 5.8 | VII | 30 km | Magnitude estimated at 5.8 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at VII EMS-98. | |||||
| 1678 Cuba earthquake | 1678-02-11 14:59 | Santiago de Cuba | 6.8 | VIII | 30 km | Magnitude estimated at 6.8 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at VIII EMS-98. | |||||
| 1679 Cuba earthquake | 1679-02-11 | Santiago de Cuba | |||||||||
| 1682 Cuba earthquake | 1682 | Santiago de Cuba | 5.8 | VII | 30 km | Magnitude estimated at 5.8 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at VII EMS-98. | |||||
| 1693 Cuba earthquake | July 1693 | Havana[8] | "1,500 houses thrown down" | ||||||||
| 1757 Cuba earthquake | 1757-12-14 | Santiago de Cuba[9] | |||||||||
| 1766 Cuba earthquake | 1766-06-11 05:14 | Santiago de Cuba[10] | 7.6 | IX | 35 km | Magnitude estimated at 7.6 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at IX EMS-98. | 120 | ||||
| 1826 Cuba earthquake | 1826-09-18 09:26 | Santiago de Cuba[11] | 5.8 | VII | 30 km | Magnitude estimated at 5.8 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at VII EMS-98. | |||||
| 1842 Cuba earthquake | 1842-07-07 | Santiago de Cuba | 6.0 | VII | 30 km | Magnitude estimated at 6.0 ML on the Richter magnitude scale, intensity at VII EMS-98. | |||||
| 1852 Cuba earthquake | 1852-08-20 14:05 UTC | Santiago de Cuba[12] | 7.2 | IX | 30 km | Intensity estimated at IX EMS-98, 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 and Hispaniola.[13] | |||||
| 1852 Cuba earthquake (November) | 1852-11-26 08:37 GMT | Santiago de Cuba, Sierra Maestra[14] | 7.0 | VIII | 35 km | ||||||
| 1858 Cuba earthquake | 1858-01-28 22:04 | 6.5 | VII | 30 km | |||||||
| 1880 Cuba earthquake | 1880-01-23 04:39 | San Cristóbal/Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Río) [15] [16] | 6.0 | VIII | 15 km | A series of severe shock waves originating from western Cuba were also felt in the town of Key West (Florida), and included a strong earthquake on 23 January 1880 in San Cristóbal, Pinar del Río at 4 a.m. | |||||
| 1903 Cuba earthquake | 1903-09-22 08:09 | 5.7 | VII | 30 km | |||||||
| 1906 Cuba earthquake | 1906-06-22 07:09 | Santiago de Cuba | 6.2 | VII | 30 km | ||||||
| 1914 Cuba earthquake | 1914-02-28 05:19 | Gibara | 6.2 | VII | 32 km | ||||||
| 1914 Cuba earthquake | 1914-12-25 05:19 | Santiago de Cuba | 6.7 | VII | 30 km | ||||||
| 1932 Cuba earthquake | 1932-02-03 | 20°N -75.8°W Santiago de Cuba[17] | 6.75 | VIII | Intensity estimated at VIII EMS-98. 8 – 1500[18] deaths, 300 injured. 80% of buildings in Santiago de Cuba affected., with damage totaling 15 million Pesos. | 8 | |||||
| 1947 Cuba earthquake | 1947-08-07 00:40:20 UTC | 19.75°N -75.32°W Santiago de Cuba[19] | 6.8 | VIII | 50 km | Magnitude estimated at 6.8 ML and intensity VIII EMS-98. | |||||
| 1992 Cuba earthquake | 1992-05-25 16:55:04 UTC | 19.613°N -77.872°W Cabo Cruz, Pilón - Manzanillo[20] | 6.9 [21] | 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.[22] | - | ||||
| 2020-01-2814:10 UTC | 19.419°N 78.756°WCaribbean Sea | 7.7 | VI | 14.9 km | One house collapsed and more than 300 were damaged.[23] | 0 |
M = Magnitude on the Richter magnitude scale (ML), except where noted
Intensity= Intensity on the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS-98), which is somewhat similar to the Modified Mercalli scale (MM)