A particularly strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the Philippines. Then, Cuba experienced the largest earthquake in decades.
Buildings reduced to rubble in Philippines after magnitude 7.8 earthquake
At least 32 people are feared dead after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Philippines, authorities said. Large aftershocks were also reported.
On June 8, two strong earthquakes struck around the world in quick succession, reigniting fears that a more serious earthquake is on the way.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Philippines just before 7:40 a.m. local time on June 8, killing about 30 people and injuring many more. This triggered tsunami warnings in several countries, destroyed buildings and toppled power lines.
In the afternoon, a rare earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 occurred off the coast of Cuba. It was also felt in parts of Florida, the USA TODAY Network reported. Cuban authorities did not report major damage or casualties from the earthquake. Paul Earle of the U.S. Geological Survey said an earthquake this strong hasn’t been felt in the region since a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in 1880.
But experts say strange earthquakes like this one are a reminder that seismologists still don’t have a way to predict exactly when or exactly where they will occur.
“There is no indication that there is a connection between these earthquakes in Cuba and the Philippines, and there is no reason to expect any unusual events to occur as a result,” said Rice University professor and seismology expert Brandon Schmandt. “No one can predict earthquakes.”
But experts are studying which regions are at long-term risk of strong earthquakes.
“However, by studying faults and past earthquakes, scientists can more accurately assess the likelihood of future earthquakes and their strength,” the USGS says.
Should we be concerned about two earthquakes occurring on the same day?
Schmandt told USA TODAY that earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater occur two to three times each week, so it’s not unlikely that on the days of the larger quakes, there were also earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater elsewhere. He said earthquakes as strong as the one that hit the Philippines typically occur only a few times a year around the world.
However, California Institute of Technology seismologist Lucy Jones previously told USA TODAY that at least one earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or higher occurs around the world every month. Because they are randomly distributed, she said, months can go by without one, and then, by sheer random chance, multiple ones can occur closer together.
Schmandt said one earthquake can cause another earthquake, called an aftershock, but there doesn’t seem to be such a connection between earthquakes in Cuba and the Philippines. And the timing of the two June 8 quakes isn’t all that strange, Schmandt said.
Jones said that after an earthquake occurs, there is about a 5% chance that another, larger earthquake will occur nearby within a few days. While a 5% chance may not seem like a lot, it is much greater than the baseline chance, she said. For example, in 2019, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred on Independence Day near Ridgecrest, California. The next day, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake was the strongest to hit Southern California in 20 years.
In December 2025, two large earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7.0 occurred within days of each other in Alaska and Japan.
Here’s what earthquake magnitude means
According to Michigan Technological University, the size of an earthquake can have the following effects:
- Less than 2.5: generally not felt
- 2.5 to 5.4: Minor damage or no damage
- 5.5 to 6.0: Minor damage to building
- 6.1 to 6.9: serious damage
- 7.0-7.9: Big earthquake. serious damage
- 8.0 or higher: Massive damage, potentially destroying communities
Contributors: Saleen Martin, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY. Reuters
