Earthquake that shook western Cuba is not an anomaly, says expert

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Jun 30 (ACN) The 5.1 magnitude earthquake that shook western Cuba is a normal event, though rare, said Olearys Gonzalez, director of the National Center for Seismological Research, which is based in this city.

In an exclusive interview with ACN, the specialist said that so far some damage has been reported near the epicenter and there have been no perceptible aftershocks.

The scientist said that the phenomenon occurred in the Pinar fault, a seismogenerating area of the country, although away from the main one which is the southeastern coastal strip.

He qualified the earthquake as moderate and explained that the specialists and technicians of the National Seismological Service are still carrying out a more detailed evaluation of the telluric movement.

The population, especially in the Cuban capital, felt it strongly, particularly in tall buildings because, as the tremor was superficial, those light waves reach that distance with a frequency that enters into resonance with the height, which is an influential factor, Gonzalez stressed.

Likewise, he expressed that historically tremors have been registered throughout the country and the one produced this morning is one more of this behavior, although we can neither affirm nor deny that a strong event will be generated later on.

The specialist recommended to follow the guidelines of the Civil Defense General Staff and the information provided by the official media.

According to the Cenais information note, the fourth perceptible earthquake of 2021 was registered at 11:00 a.m. this Tuesday, with epicenter located at coordinates 22.78 degrees north latitude and 83.22 west longitude, at a depth of five kilometers, at a point located 17 kilometers northwest of San Cristobal, Artemisa.