Cuba and Iran were hit by earthquakes within hours of each other, a day after a major quake killed dozens in the Philippines.
A historically strong earthquake struck off Cuba's northwest coast on Monday, according to official reports, shaking parts of Cuba, Mexico and Florida that are typically not prone to quakes.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a magnitude 6.1 at a shallow depth of 26 km (16 miles) and its epicentre 104 km west-northwest of Cuba’s Mantua.
No injuries or damage were immediately reported.
On the other hand, a magnitude 5 earthquake struck Sargaz in Iran's southern Hormozgan province early on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported.
According to the Iranian state media, the quake was at a depth of 22 kilometres. No reports of any casualties have come in yet here as well.
The biggest earthquake in Cuba since 1880
Monday's 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Cuba was unusual for this area of the Caribbean, with USGS seismologist Paul Earle noting that the quake occurred within a tectonic plate, where earthquakes are usually more scattered and less frequent than when they occur along plate boundaries.
{{/usCountry}}Monday's 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Cuba was unusual for this area of the Caribbean, with USGS seismologist Paul Earle noting that the quake occurred within a tectonic plate, where earthquakes are usually more scattered and less frequent than when they occur along plate boundaries.
{{/usCountry}}“An earthquake this strong had not hit within 322 km (200 miles) of Monday's quake since 1880, when a 6.0 temblor hit near San Cristobal, Cuba,” Earle told the Associated Press.
William Barnhart, a geophysicist with the USGS, described Monday’s earthquake to Reuters as extremely rare.
“It’s one of only five or six earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater that we’re aware of in the entire Gulf,” he said.
Felt in US and Mexico as well
The earthquake that hit Cuba was felt as far away as Mexico and the US.
The National Weather Service in Miami said in a post on X that it received several reports of shaking in the southwestern part of Florida.
A flood of social media posts on Monday afternoon indicated that people felt shaking even north of Orlando.
Miami-Dade County officials announced that they were evacuating several buildings out of an abundance of caution, including the county’s main government office building, a 28-story high-rise in downtown Miami.
Officials also temporarily suspended service for two elevated commuter train services that run through downtown Miami. No injuries or major property damage have been reported.
In Mexico, the quake was felt in the tourist hubs of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum on the country's Yucatan peninsula. Residents and workers in Cancun's city centre, unaccustomed to strong quakes, evacuated buildings.
No tsunami warning or watch was issued after the earthquake, according to the US National Weather Service.