M6.8 Earthquake 42 km SSW of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba — November 10, 2024
2024-11-10 16:49:50 UTC (2024-11-10) · approx. 11:49 AM UTC-5 local
Felt by 148 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 7.5 (severe).
On November 10, 2024 at 16:49 UTC, a magnitude 6.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 42 km SSW of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba, at a depth of 14.0 km and coordinates 19.7974°, -77.0506°. The earthquake was reported felt by 148 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 7.5 (severe). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 90 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 825, making it one of the more significant events of the week. The nearest populated place is Pilon (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 30 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 7.5 (severe), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Very strong shaking. Difficult to stand. Damage to weak structures; slight damage to well-built structures. Furniture broken. Fallen plaster and loose bricks.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 148 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 273,506 |
| MMI 4 | light | 6,083,941 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 1,460,441 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 598,652 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 31,626 |
Earthquake Details
-77.0506°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Bartolomé Masó, Cuba?
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck 42 km SSW of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba on November 10, 2024 at 16:49 UTC had a depth of 14.0 km. It was felt by 148 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 7.5 (severe). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 19.7974°, -77.0506°, which is 42 km SSW of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba. The nearest populated place is Pilon (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.8 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000nr0v). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, November 10, 2024). M6.8 Earthquake 42 km SSW of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba — November 10, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000nr0v/