Around noon on Sunday, Miami meteorologist James Van Fleet took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask Miamians whether they felt their building shake or the ground vibrate as shockwaves from a strong earthquake centered just off the coast of Santiago de Cuba rippled its way up to South Florida.
Van Fleet shared footage of the sway of a chandelier in a high-rise condo at Quantum on the Bay in Edgewater. The video, provided by resident Daniel Barragan, shows the tremors in action — a reminder that our tropical paradise isn't entirely immune to nature's seismic side.
Commenters on Van Fleet's post shared their experiences with the earthquake's aftereffects. One user on the 59th floor of a Brickell building described a "massive swing," while someone else on the 34th floor in Park West also reported feeling the tremor. And a downtown resident on the 29th floor at Square Station joked that it felt like an extension of their late-night partying. One Sunny Isles resident reported feeling it. A Hollywood commenter shared video footage showing a light fixture swaying on the 33rd floor.Are you feeling your building shake or the ground vibrate in Miami? 6.5 earthquake just now a little south of Santiago de Cuba a few moments ago and we can see the shockwaves reach South Florida. Video is from North Tower, Quantum in the Bay, Edgewater Miami from resident Daniel… pic.twitter.com/OLOCwyLile
— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) November 10, 2024
Others expressed doubt or noted they didn't feel anything. One checked in from Wynwood to report they were on ground level and felt nothing; ditto a South Miami-Dade local.
Others felt... something else, such as the person who observed, "Jesus Christ is coming back soon! Repent and follow the King of all Kings!!! Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews."
In a phone conversation with New Times, Van Fleet described the experience as "a very, very light sensation. It was one of those where I could feel it like in my feet and my body, just ever so slightly to the point where you almost assumed it was just the wind."
So much so that he initially brushed off the feeling. It wasn't until he saw a USGS report confirming that the quake — officially measured at 6.8 on the Richter scale — was no passing breeze.
New Times checked in via email with Falk Amelung, a professor at the University of Miami's Department of Marine Geosciences, for additional insight into the unfamiliar occurrence.It was very light for me personally and would’ve been difficult to tell what that was. Many of my neighbors in the complex reporting “popping” and “cracking” sounds around balcony doors and windows. We heard the same. Are you in high raise or ground level in Wynwood?
— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) November 10, 2024
Amelung explained that the quake originated along a fault line between the North American tectonic plate and the Gonâve microplate in southwestern Cuba — an area that's no stranger to seismic activity.
"It was not a surprise," he writes. "This is a plate boundary zone, and there is a big transform fault between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates along which the earthquake occurred."
Nor is this by any means the first Cuban earthquake that has been felt in Miami. "There was a much larger one, a magnitude 7.7, to the west in 2020. That was also felt in Miami's high-rises," Amelung adds.
We also spoke with Shimon Wdowninski, a professor in the department of Earth and environment at Florida International University, who noted that 6.8 is a serious number.
"So, 6.8 is a pretty strong earthquake," Wdowninski says. "It can cause damage to buildings. There can be casualties — it depends on how close we are to the epicenter."
Recalling the 7.7 Caribbean quake, Wdowninski referred New Times to an interview where he discussed the event. Amelung, meanwhile, noted that the weekend's seismic activity might not be the end of this particular seismic chapter.
"The concern is now that there could be another big one along the same fault further east, which could affect a larger population [i.e., Santiago de Cuba] than this one."
As for the proximity to Miami in time and space, Amelung wrote that while it would be hard to say without additional research, "Two of them in four years is a lot."
