One of the earthquakes had a magnitude of 5.0, according to the National Meteorological Service
The fault in the Guánica area is active and several tremors were recorded tonight in Puerto Rico.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 4.7, was reported south of Guánica at about 6:30 p.m. six miles from that municipality. The preliminary magnitude was 5.1.
#Sismo M 3.8 PUERTO RICO REGION. 29-12-2019 05:49 UTC https://t.co/XgzU0tEqey #Temblor #CSEM #EMSC #Earthquake #PuertoRico pic.twitter.com/wgsOztNTkQ
— Monitor Sismico (@MonitorSismico) December 29, 2019
A replica was registered an hour later in the same area. Seismic Network data point to a magnitude of 4.1 at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Then, at about 9:00 p.m., one of greater intensity, magnitude 5.0, was reported in the same southern zone.
In no case was a tsunami warning or warning issued.
In response to the events, the governor Wanda Vázquez called for calm.
Debemos permanecer en calma ante las réplicas experimentadas o que puedan ocurrir a raíz del temblor inicial en el suroeste de la Isla. La Oficina de @NMEADpr está pendiente y activada.
— Wanda Vázquez Garced (@wandavazquezg) December 29, 2019
For his part, the commissioner of the Emergency Management and Disaster Management Bureau, Carlos Acevedo, explained that the reason why earthquakes are being felt more than other times is that they are occurring quite close to the shore and at shallow depth.
Another Moderate 5.2 #earthquake #Terremoto #Temblor #Sismo near Guanica #PuertoRico Right Now ? pic.twitter.com/NBbp7ETvZ0
— Angel Elemiah (@MaximoSPQR) December 29, 2019
Report damage
Although no serious damage has been reported, Acevedo said in an interview with El Nuevo Día that citizens reported that a rock slipped on Highway 335 in Guayanilla.
He added that he received images of cracks in homes and that they have staff available to handle any situation. He also said he keeps in touch with mayors from the southern area near the epicenter of the earthquake.
Acevedo, said the agency is prepared to face any emergency.
There are already 15 events
The director of the Seismic Network, Víctor Huérfano, told El Nuevo Día tonight that since the first telluric event was reported at 6:30 p.m. another 15 have occurred.
Huérfanosaid there is “a complex situation” in the Guánica area. “We are monitoring the fault,” he added.
He insisted that the population should remain calm. He stressed that although the reality is that in Puerto Rico a major event may occur at any time, “not necessarily the activation of the fault means there will be one.”
Experience
On the night of September 23 there was a strong tremor at about 11:30 p.m. with a final magnitude of 6.0 in the Mona Canyon region.
In Puerto Rico, the last time a telluric event caused great damage was in 1918, when a tremor in the Mona Canyon, with a magnitude of 7.3, caused a 20-foot tsunami that caused considerable damage to the west coast.
Orientación | Los terremotos no se pueden predecir y podrían sorprendernos en cualquier momento.
✅Es importante seguir los consejos que compartimos y prepararse para reaccionar de forma adecuada, velando por su seguridad y la de los que le acompañan (1/3) @wandavazquezg pic.twitter.com/ecPzGVPZoH
— Manejo de Emergencias (@NMEADpr) December 28, 2019
The only time a tsunami warning was issued in Puerto Rico was between night and dawn on January 9 and 10, 2018.
At that time, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 that shook the coast of northern Honduras caused the Seismic Network to issue the warning.
It was canceled hours later.
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