Tsunami warning canceled for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands after earthquake in Caribbean Sea

Yahoo

09-02-2025

A tsunami warning, issued after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean Sea Saturday evening north of Honduras and southwest of the Cayman Islands, was lifted after the tsunami threat passed, the National Tsunami Warning Center said Saturday night.
"The tsunami threat has passed," the warning center said in a 9:12 p.m. advisory Saturday. "Unusual currents may be noticed in some areas. Exercise normal caution."
At the same time, minutes before the warning was lifted, the center said a tsunami of 1.2 inches was measured on the Yucatan Peninsula in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
"While that sounds small, it's evidence and confirmation that a tsunami is occurring due to a significant earthquake," the agency had said, adding there was no tsunami danger for Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, or the continental United States.
The warning was issued Saturday evening for the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km in the Caribbean Sea around 6:23 p.m. ET, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was the result of "strike slip faulting in the shallow crust near the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates," USGS said.
According to the tsunami warning, sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents could pose a threat along coasts, beaches, in harbors and in coastal waters. The advisory added "sea level readings are not yet available to confirm or evaluate if a tsunami has been generated" and that the agency will update as more information is available.
However, there was no threat to the U.S. Atlantic or Gulf Coast after the quake, the tsunami warning system said.
The geological survey said, "large earthquakes at this location of the plate boundary are not unexpected" and earthquakes 6.0 and larger have occurred within 250 km of today's earthquake in the current century." The agency said an earthquake with a similar mechanism measuring 7.5 occurred on January 10, 2018. It caused some damage and a small tsunami, according to USGS.
"Luckily, the remote location of these earthquakes limits the potential for significant damage due to shaking," the agency said.
This story was updated to add new information after an update by the National Tsunami Warning Center.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tsunami advisories canceled for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands after earthquake