A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the western Caribbean.
The earthquake was located about 130 miles south-southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the western Caribbean on Saturday night, leading to a tsunami warning for the Cayman Islands. However, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were found to be safe from the danger.
An earthquake hit at 6:23 p.m. ET, about 6 miles deep and around 130 miles south-southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Cayman Islands is at risk of a tsunami. The government of the Cayman Islands danger management office advised people living near the coast to move further inland.
The agency told people living near the coast to move to higher ground because there could be a storm within an hour.
The danger management office in the Cayman Islands explained that tsunamis can be very strong, even if they are only 1.5 feet tall. They can create waves that are 50-60 miles wide. The most destructive part of a tsunami is its powerful wave of water, according to the agency. A clear sign that a tsunami is coming is when the sea quickly pulls back before the wave hits.
The U.S. wave Warning System announced that Cuba might face a wave that could be between 3 and 10 feet tall.
A canceled tsunami warning from the National Weather Service warned people in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to be cautious because dangerous waves or currents from a tsunami were expected or occurring.
Puerto Rico’s Governor Jenniffer González Colón told people to “leave the water right away, especially on the west and south coasts of the island” as a safety measure.
“Even though we don’t expect any serious events, it’s safer for everyone to stay out of the water until we say otherwise,” she said.
The USGS first recorded the earthquake as having a strength of 8.0, but later changed it to 7.6 after further evaluation.
The earthquake was under an island in the Caribbean, so the USGS stated that “few or no people” felt the shaking.
The USGS said the earthquake happened at a strike-slip fault near where the North America and Caribbean tectonic plates meet.
The agency said in a report on its website Saturday night that big earthquakes at this plate boundary area are normal.
There have been 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher in the area in the past 100 years. A major earthquake happened in the area on January 10, 2018. It was a 7.5 magnitude quake that caused some damage and a small tsunami, according to the USGS.
“Fortunately, because these earthquakes are in a remote area, there is less chance of serious damage from the shaking.”