5.8 Magnitude Earthquake in Cuba (March 2026)
03/17/2026
Samuel Clifford
Cuba is already currently dealing with a large energy crisis and a blackout as around 10 million people are without power. On top of that, an earthquake of about 5.8 in magnitude occurred in the early hours (12:28 am local time) of Tuesday, March 17, 2026. The U.S. The Geological Survey recorded the earthquake as a 5.8 while Cuba’s National Seismological Research Center recorded it as a 6.0. The epicenter was located around 37 kilometers southeast of Imías in Guantánamo. The earthquake struck close to the Septentrional–Oriente fault zone, a major seismic system in the northern Caribbean. This fault forms part of the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates and extends from southeastern Cuba eastward along the northern edge of Hispaniola, including both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There have been earthquakes in the surrounding area before including a notable 7.7 earthquake in 2020.
Imías in Guantánamo, Cuba. The epicenter of the earthquake was around 37 kilometers southeast.
A handful of aftershocks were reported and a few notable ones were around 4.1-7.7 in magnitude. The shaking was reported in both Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba provinces. No fatalities or significant damage has been reported however that information is limited due to the nationwide blackout. Yet, it is possible as the earthquake occurred a decent amount of distance from a populated area. See article here on the crisis in Cuba:
Sources:
Hermosilla, Macarena. “Earthquake Hits Cuba as Nationwide Blackout Deepens Crisis.” UPI, 17 Mar. 2026, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/03/17/latam-cuba-earthquake-electical-outage/6721773759878/.
Davis, Jovani. “6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Cuba amid Nationwide Blackout.” Caribbean National Weekly, 17 Mar. 2026, www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/news/6-0-magnitude-earthquake-hits-cuba-amid-nationwide-blackout/