7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Near Jamaica Felt in Miami

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake which hit 80 miles away from Jamaica yesterday was felt from as far away as Florida. 440 miles from the epicenter, people in Miami felt shaking for upwards of a minute. Whole buildings were even evacuated. And although we didn’t feel shaking, the quake was registered by seismographs here in South Carolina. There were several aftershocks, including one that had a magnitude of 6.1 and a tsunami warning was issued for the Caribbean islands. But, luckily no casualties or heavy damage from quakes, tsunamis, or otherwise have been reported. It appears to have been a “strike-slip earthquake,” which is when the tectonic plates slide against each other as opposed to going up and over. These kinds of quakes are preferable because they limit the threat of devastating tsunamis.