Strongest earthquake in nearly 150 years hits off Cuba, shakes Mexico, Florida

A historically strong earthquake struck off Cuba's northwest coast on Monday, according to official reports, shaking parts of Cuba, Mexico and Florida that are typically not prone to quakes.



The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a magnitude 6.1 at a shallow depth of 26 km (16 miles) and its epicenter 104 km west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, about two to four hours by car from the capital Havana.



Monday's earthquake was unusual for this area of the Caribbean, said Paul Earle, a seismologist at the USGS, noting that the quake occurred within a tectonic plate, where earthquakes are usually more scattered and less frequent than when they occur along plate boundaries.



An earthquake this strong had not hit within 322 km (200 miles) of Monday's quake since 1880, when a 6.0 temblor hit near San Cristobal, Cuba, said Earle.