The early morning quake struck approximately 63 miles (102 kilometers) NNE of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, a popular beach town and tourist destination, and traveled upward from a depth of 28 miles (46 kilometers) beneath the water’s surface.
Early Morning Earthquake Part of Swarm That Began on Monday
According to the USGS, the M5.9 early morning earthquake is part of a swarm of earthquakes that began on Monday. So far, seismologists at the center have recorded 10 to date in the last 24 hours.
An estimated 6.1 million people between both islands may have felt shaking ranging from very weak to strong, as reported by the USGS. No injuries or damages have been reported at the time of this publication.
Thankfully, this morning’s strong earthquake did not trigger a tsunami warning given its position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, and between the two islands. Had the earthquake produced a much stronger magnitude on the Richter scale, the likelihood of a tsunami warning alert being sent to residents and visitors across Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic would have been much higher.
Island Chains in the Caribbean Still On Edge After Powerful 7.6 Magnitude Earthquake Struck Two Weeks Ago
A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras near the Cayman Islands two weeks ago, with powerful shaking felt as far away as Puerto Rico. Due to the quake’s strength, a tsunami warning was triggered and stayed active for several hours before it was canceled.
Numerous tectonic plates under the waters of the Caribbean create an abundance of earthquakes ranging from mild to powerful on the Richter scale, and some deadlier than others.
In 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, killing approximately 300,000 people, while the 7.6 magnitude which struck near the Cayman Islands two weeks ago caused no deaths or injuries; thankfully.
Seismologists warn that although some quakes may be smaller in magnitude strength, the likelihood of feeling stronger tremors farther away boils down to the depth of the quake's strike. Shallow quakes are felt much stronger and reverberate farther from the epicenter than earthquakes that begin much deeper down under the surface of the earth or the ocean floor.