ORLANDO, Fla. — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake off the northwestern coast of Cuba was felt across parts of Central Florida on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Channel 9 is working to gather more information. See live updates below:
UPDATE: USGS confirms magnitude 6.1 earthquake off Cuba, felt in Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Cuba earlier Monday.
USGS officials said they have received reports from people who felt shaking along the Gulf, including coastal and Central Florida.
Given the size of the earthquake, USGS said further aftershocks are possible over the next several days.
Officials said anyone who feels earthquake shaking should drop, cover and hold on.
According to USGS, Monday’s earthquake struck about 60 miles northwest of Cuba. USGS said it was the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the area since around 1900.
USGS said most earthquakes occur along plate boundaries, but Monday’s earthquake happened well away from the active boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates.
Within tectonic plates, stresses are more broadly distributed, meaning earthquakes tend to be more scattered and less frequent than those directly on plate boundaries, USGS said.
4:25 p.m. update:
Viewer submitted video shows shaking on a garage security camera in Groveland.
This browser does not support the video element.
WATCH LIVE COVERAGE ON CHANNEL 9
3:28 p.m. update:
Records show Monday’s earthquake was the strongest ever recorded in the Gulf.
Channel 9’s Greg Warmoth spoke with Dr. Raymond Russo, a geophysics professor, who said the shaking in Florida appears to be low in intensity.
Russo said he does not expect local damage or sinkhole concerns from this earthquake.
WFTV’s Tom Terry said the data is still fluid, and magnitude reports originally ranged from 6.1 to 6.4.
READ: Earthquakes by the numbers: What does magnitude mean?
The latest data now point to the earthquake being closer to 6.1 in magnitude.
3:15 p.m. update:
Emergency management centers in Citrus County and Manatee County on Florida’s West Coast said on their social media accounts that they are actively monitoring conditions after Monday’s Earthquake.
There are still no reports of damage.
3:05 p.m. update:
Lake County said it has closed all county offices for the day “due to conditions experienced locally from today’s earthquake.”
The offices later announced they would be open Tuesday June 6.
County officials said this is being done out of an abundance of caution.
Original report:
Many people in Central Florida reported feeling a small earthquake Monday afternoon.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Northwest Cuba and was felt in Central Florida.
This occurred shortly after 2 p.m. These kinds of earthquakes are rare in the Caribbean and the Gulf.
There is no threat of a tsunami in the Gulf.
It occurred near the fault line between the North American plate and the Caribbean plate, which has a lateral strike-slip motion boundary.
This means that the plates move in opposite directions and not towards each other.
That is important because tsunamis typically occur when one tectonic plate is moving on top of another tectonic plate.
Small aftershocks will follow in the coming hours.
Channel 9 is working to gather more information and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.