A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea, roughly equidistant from the coasts of Jamaica, Cuba and the Cayman Islands.
The U.S. Geological Survey continues to monitor the seismic activity in the region. Aftershocks, which are already occurring, are normal and expected.
Despite the large size of the earthquake, the fact that it occurred offshore and away from high population areas lessened its societal impact.
USGS estimates moderate shaking occurred on parts of Cuba and Jamaica, the two islands closest to the epicenter, and light to weak shaking across other parts of these islands. Light shaking was also reported from some parts of the Florida mainland.
USGS scientists report that this earthquake confirms what is already known about this part of the world: large earthquakes can and do happen in the Caribbean region.
Given what we know about earthquake behavior, and given the distance between the magnitude 7.7 quake and the activity occurring in southwestern Puerto Rico, it is unlikely there is any relationship between these two seismic events.
