Magnitude 6.2 Quake Strikes Near Guadeloupe; No Damage Reported

John McCarthyPosted oninAt VIFreep, Breaking News, Caribbean News, Environmental News, International News1 Comment

BASSE-TERRE — A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe on Friday and was felt as far away as Puerto Rico.

Local media reported that some buildings creaked and furniture shook. But there were no immediate reports of damage, a government spokeswoman told The Associated Press.

The quake occurred at a depth of 103 miles (166 kilometers) just west of Guadeloupe, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Strong earthquakes have occasionally struck the eastern Caribbean. A magnitude 7.4 quake that struck in November 2007 caused damage in the French Caribbean island of Martinique and power outages in the region. A magnitude 6.0 quake that hit in November 2004 near Dominica killed at least one person in Guadeloupe.

Earthquakes of this magnitude typically happen only about 100 times per year globally.

John McCarthy

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.