On Monday Afternoon an Unusually powerful M6.1 Earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Mexico 152km from Pinar del Río (Cuba).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 8th, 2026. Last updated June 11th, 2026.

An unusually powerful M6.1 earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Mexico 152 kilometer from Pinar del Río, Cuba in the afternoon of Monday June 8th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.6 million people. Another country near the epicenter is Mexico.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Mexico, 95 kilometers (59 mi) off the coast of Cuba, 152 kilometer west of Pinar del Río. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 26 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jun 8, 2026 14:00 (Havana Time) - Jun 8, 2026 18:00 Universal Time.
Location:	152 km west of Pinar del Río, Cuba. Coordinates 22°47'7"N 85°7'31"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 79 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.03 .
Depth:	26 km (16 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 94% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 1.6 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 1.6 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 2,830 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 1.1 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. In Cuba , around 620 thousand people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Roughly 1 million people were exposed to shaking in Mexico .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
538,900	III	Weak	Probably none
1,071,000	IV	Light	Likely none
2,830	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

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

Minas de Matahambre in Pinar del Río, Cuba is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 123 kilometer (76 mi) west of Minas de Matahambre. Minas de Matahambre experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Havana is located 283 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Cancún is located 252 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Pinar del Río is located 152 km to the east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
123 km (76 mi) E from epicenter	Minas de Matahambre Pinar del Río, Cuba.	IV Light
125 km (78 mi) SE from epicenter	Guane Pinar del Río, Cuba.	IV Light
147 km (91 mi) E from epicenter	Viñales Pinar del Río, Cuba.	IV Light
152 km (94 mi) E from epicenter	Pinar del Río Pinar del Río, Cuba.	IV Light
168 km (104 mi) E from epicenter	Consolación del Sur Pinar del Río, Cuba.	IV Light
194 km (121 mi) E from epicenter	Los Palacios Pinar del Río, Cuba.	IV Light
202 km (126 mi) E from epicenter	Bahía Honda Aremisa, Cuba.	IV Light
212 km (132 mi) E from epicenter	San Cristobal Aremisa, Cuba.
243 km (151 mi) E from epicenter	Artemisa Aremisa, Cuba.
244 km (152 mi) E from epicenter	Mariel Aremisa, Cuba.
250 km (155 mi) E from epicenter	Guanajay Aremisa, Cuba.
252 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter	Cancún Quintana Roo, Mexico.	III Weak
259 km (161 mi) E from epicenter	Nueva Gerona Isla de la Juventud, Cuba.
261 km (162 mi) E from epicenter	Alquízar Aremisa, Cuba.
265 km (165 mi) E from epicenter	Bauta Aremisa, Cuba.
268 km (167 mi) E from epicenter	Güira de Melena Aremisa, Cuba.
269 km (167 mi) E from epicenter	San Antonio de los Baños Aremisa, Cuba.
277 km (172 mi) E from epicenter	La Salud Mayabeque, Cuba.
280 km (174 mi) E from epicenter	Boyeros Havana, Cuba.
281 km (175 mi) E from epicenter	Bejucal Mayabeque, Cuba.
281 km (175 mi) E from epicenter	Santiago de las Vegas Havana, Cuba.
283 km (176 mi) E from epicenter	Cerro Havana, Cuba.
283 km (176 mi) E from epicenter	Arroyo Naranjo Havana, Cuba.
283 km (176 mi) E from epicenter	Havana Havana, Cuba.
285 km (177 mi) E from epicenter	Centro Habana Havana, Cuba.
285 km (177 mi) E from epicenter	Diez de Octubre Havana, Cuba.
286 km (178 mi) E from epicenter	La Habana Vieja Havana, Cuba.
288 km (179 mi) E from epicenter	Regla Havana, Cuba.
289 km (180 mi) E from epicenter	Ciudad Camilo Cienfuegos Havana, Cuba.
289 km (180 mi) E from epicenter	San Miguel del Padrón Havana, Cuba.
292 km (181 mi) E from epicenter	Guanabacoa Havana, Cuba.
294 km (183 mi) E from epicenter	Alamar Havana, Cuba.
305 km (190 mi) E from epicenter	San José de las Lajas Mayabeque, Cuba.
314 km (195 mi) SW from epicenter	Playa del Carmen Quintana Roo, Mexico.
316 km (196 mi) SW from epicenter	Cozumel Quintana Roo, Mexico.
318 km (198 mi) E from epicenter	Güines Mayabeque, Cuba.
320 km (199 mi) E from epicenter	Jaruco Mayabeque, Cuba.
330 km (205 mi) E from epicenter	Santa Cruz del Norte Mayabeque, Cuba.
335 km (208 mi) E from epicenter	Madruga Mayabeque, Cuba.
362 km (225 mi) SW from epicenter	Tizimín Yucatán, Mexico.
364 km (226 mi) E from epicenter	Matanzas Matanzas, Cuba.
368 km (229 mi) E from epicenter	Unión de Reyes Matanzas, Cuba.
375 km (233 mi) SW from epicenter	Tulum Quintana Roo, Mexico.
381 km (237 mi) E from epicenter	Limonar Matanzas, Cuba.
393 km (244 mi) E from epicenter	Pedro Betancourt Matanzas, Cuba.
244 mi (393 km) NE from epicenter	Key West Florida, The United States.
394 km (245 mi) SW from epicenter	Valladolid Yucatán, Mexico.
399 km (248 mi) E from epicenter	Varadero Matanzas, Cuba.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 89 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 89 people have reported shaking in 16 places in 4 countries (Cuba, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Belize).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico: 31 people.
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico: 15 people.
Bonfil, Quintana Roo, Mexico: 13 people.
Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico: 10 people.
Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico: 4 people.
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico: 3 people.
Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico: 3 people.
Havanna, Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba: 2 people.
Mantua, Pinar del Río, Cuba: 1 person.
Guane, Pinar del Río, Cuba: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 6.1 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 26 km (16 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 11/06/26 01:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.