Unusually powerful M5.9 FORESHOCK struck on Sunday Morning in the Caribbean Sea near Bayamo (Cuba).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 10th, 2024. Last updated November 13th, 2024.

An unusually powerful M5.9 foreshock struck in the Caribbean Sea 63 kilometer from Bayamo, Cuba in the morning of Sunday November 10th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 5.7 million people. Jamaica is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Caribbean Sea, right off the coast of Cuba (4 mi offshore), 63 kilometer south-southwest of Bayamo in Granma. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 14 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 10, 2024 10:50 (Havana Time) - Nov 10, 2024 15:50 Universal Time.
Location:	63 km SSW of Bayamo, Granma, Cuba. Coordinates 19°51'8"N 76°53'24"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	14 km (9 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 98% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 5.7 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 5.7 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 4,200 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 3.4 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 4.4 million people were exposed to shaking in Cuba , with level VI (strong shaking, probably light damage) as the highest recorded. Roughly 1.3 million people were exposed to shaking in Jamaica .

Nearby towns and cities

3 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Cuba and Jamaica . Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Haiti.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Bartolomé Masó in Granma, Cuba. Bartolomé Masó is located 35 kilometer (22 mi) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Bartolomé Masó is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Santiago de Cuba is located 113 km to the east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Kingston is located 207 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low). Bayamo is located 63 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 647 people in 3 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 647 people have reported shaking in 23 places in 3 countries (Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Bayamo, Granma, Cuba: 126 people.
• Jiguaní, Granma, Cuba: 117 people.
• Guisa, Granma, Cuba: 86 people.
• Campechuela, Granma, Cuba: 59 people.
• Cacocum, Holguín, Cuba: 40 people.
• Las Tunas, Las Tunas, Cuba: 39 people.
• Niquero, Granma, Cuba: 31 people.
• Yara, Granma, Cuba: 30 people.
• Manzanillo, Granma, Cuba: 29 people.
• El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba: 26 people.

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-6.8 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 5 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 28th, 2020, when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit 201 km (125 mi) further west-southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 years.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 13/11/24 15:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nr0n
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241110_0000143
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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