The Puerto Rico Seismic Network reported an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 that occurred Feb. 4 in the south of the island had an intensity of VI.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) cataloged the earthquake,, between magnitude 5.3 and 5.4 initially. There was no watch or warning of tsunami after the quake, which occurred about 32 kilometers deep south of the island.
“Remember that this is being evaluated little by little. It was a strongly felt tremor in the southwest area of Puerto Rico. It was felt up til the San Juan metropolitan area and in fact, many municipalities have been reporting how strong this tremor was. So I do not doubt that this stays very close to that magnitude of 5, which is usually when we come to feel southern quakes in the metropolitan area, “explained meteorologist Ada Monzón through a live stream.
This represents the largest earthquake on the island in recent days. In fact, the data of the Seismic Network suggest that the earthquake closest to the event on Feb. 4 occurred on Monday Feb 3 at about 10:00 a.m. with a magnitude 4.5. Specifically since January 25, an event of magnitude 5.0 or near did not occur.
The director of the Seismic Network, Víctor Huérfano, said that preliminary intensity was VI, felt in southern municipalities such as Ponce and Guánica. He added that the movement could cause compromised structures to suffer even more damage that would need to be assessed.
He also warned that this event will generate new replicas.
