Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, Jan 7.- In his summary on seismicity in the Largest if the Antilles during 2024, the head of the National Seismological Service, Doctor of Sciences Enrique Arango Arias, highlighted that this was the one that has recorded the greatest number of earthquakes, with a total of 12 thousand 806.
This is due to the occurrence of two earthquakes, on November 10, of 6.0 and 6.7 magnitude, about 40 kilometers southeast of the town of Pilón, province of Granma, and an earthquake of 6.1 degrees of magnitude, south of the municipality of Guamá, province of Santiago de Cuba, on December 23.
The specialist explained that both the earthquakes of November 10 and the one that occurred on December 23 occur in a sector of the Oriente transform fault, characterized by a predominant sliding movement along the left lateral trend. Since the seismic activity began, a total of 8,873 aftershocks of both earthquakes were recorded until the end of the year.
Likewise, after the December 23 earthquake occurred, 446 aftershocks have been recorded. Given the magnitude of these earthquakes, the aftershocks will continue, which is totally normal, although they should decrease in quantity and magnitude over time.
Regarding the work of the National Center for Seismological Research (Cenais) and the information provided to the authorities and the population, 20 noticeable earthquakes were officially reported in newsletters, ten in the Santiago-Baconao area, five in different locations in the interior of the country (Moa, Baracoa, Sibanicú and Varadero) and five others in the Pilón-Chivirico area, where the three strong earthquakes are included. However, a large number of aftershocks of the strong earthquakes were felt, which were not reported as perceptible and, for this reason, the corresponding information bulletin was not prepared.
In that sense, it was assumed that earthquakes with magnitude greater than 2.5 were felt by people who live in the places closest to these epicenters. Until December 31, a total of 143 probably perceptible earthquakes were recorded.
As for the damage, all of it was a consequence of the existing vulnerabilities, homes and buildings of socioeconomic interest built without any structural reinforcement; many of them already damaged by the earthquakes of February 19, 1976 and May 25, 1992, and which were not rehabilitated. The two strong earthquakes on November 10 were perceived by 100% of the residents surveyed, he concluded. (Granma Digital) (Photo: Archive)
