Caribbean
What tectonic plate is Cuba on?
Cuba sits almost entirely on the North American Plate (99% of its land), with small fringes on the Caribbean Plate.
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 5
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 109,296 km²
Plates under Cuba
Share of Cuba's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Cuba: the Caribbean-North American boundary (transform, about 1.7 cm/yr).
- Caribbean and North American: transform, 1.7 cm/yr
Earthquakes in Cuba
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Cuba. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 5 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 km SW of Niquero, Cuba | M7.0 | 1917 | 15 km | Caribbean |
| 56 km SSW of Niquero, Cuba | M6.8 | 1992 | 23 km | North American |
| 42 km SSW of Bartolomé Masó, Cubatsunami | M6.8 | 2024 | 14 km | North American |
| 37 km SSE of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba | M6.7 | 1932 | 25 km | Caribbean |
| 60 km SSW of Guantánamo, Cuba | M6.6 | 1947 | 35 km | Caribbean |
Volcanoes in Cuba
Cuba has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Cuba on?
Cuba sits almost entirely on the North American Plate (99% of its land), with small fringes on the Caribbean Plate.
Is Cuba on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Cuba: the Caribbean-North American boundary (transform, about 1.7 cm/yr).
Does Cuba get earthquakes?
Large earthquakes are uncommon in Cuba. Since 1900 the USGS has recorded 5 of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off the country. The largest was the M7.0 84 km SW of Niquero, Cuba in 1917.
Are there volcanoes in Cuba?
Cuba has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.