More than 10 earthquakes rattled Puerto Rico today, but fortunately none have been strong enough to create a local or regional tsunami in the Atlantic or the Caribbean Sea. Today’s 11 earthquakes are part of the 101 that have had an epicenter around Puerto Rico, with most earthquakes centered over the southwest coast of the island. While several of these earthquakes have been felt by locals, there has been no earthquake damage nor injuries reported. USGS continues to track and measure earthquakes in the region.
The strongest earthquake reported today was a 3.7 magnitude event which struck in the ocean north and east of Puerto Rico; it happened moments after a 3.2 magnitude event struck the same area this morning around 10 am local time.
Most of today’s earthquakes aren’t far from the epicenter of a strong earthquake that hit in January 2020. That 6.4 created extensive damage in Puerto Rico, including widespread power failures across much of the island. An earthquake swarm started here in December 2019 and unrest has continued since.
These earthquakes are occurring near the northern edge of the Caribbean Plate, a mostly oceanic tectonic plate underlying Central America and the Caribbean Sea off of the north coast of South America. The Caribbean Plate borders the North American Plate, the South American Plate, the Nazca Plate, and the Cocos Plate. The borders of these plates are home to ongoing seismic activity, including frequent earthquakes, occasional tsunamis, and sometimes even volcanic eruptions.
USGS continues to monitor earthquake activity in and around Puerto Rico while the National Weather Service Tsunami Warning Center is keeping an eye on any tsunami threats.
