Magnitude 5.8 Puerto Rico Earthquake Destroys Famous Landmark

By Eric Mack, Forbes

06 January 20

he island of Puerto Rico was jolted awake early Monday morning by an earthquake registering 5.8 on the Richter scale. The tremors have already been followed by a number of aftershocks, and all the shaking has caused the collapse of the popular natural rock formation Punta Ventana or Window Point.

The earthquake struck before sunrise on the island at 6:32 a.m. local time, and was centered just offshore of the southwestern side of the territory. 

In addition to sending the top of Punta Ventana into the ocean, the temblor damaged homes in nearby Guanica, sent rockslides into roads and caused power outages, according to the Miami Herald.

The Monday morning quake is the strongest from a series of nerve-rattling tremors that have shook the island in recent weeks, including one registering 5.0 magnitude on December 29.

“This is one of the strongest quakes to date since it started shaking on Dec. 28,” Angel Vazquez, the emergency management director for the southern coastal city of Ponce, told The Associated Press. “It lasted a long time.”

One resident whose home collapsed described the scene as “hell.”

This latest natural disaster comes as the island is still struggling to recover from the catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The earthquake struck on Three Kings Day, when many businesses and offices are shut for the day. 

So far, no casualties are reported, but authorities are warning residents to brace for more aftershocks. The US Geological Survey estimates there is just a four percent chance that Monday’s quake will be followed by an even stronger one in the coming days and weeks.