Major earthquake shakes Caribbean with islands watching for ...

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Beach, sea and blue sky. Tropical beach and paradise nature. Cayman Islands. (Photo by: Pascal Deloche/Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A Tsunami Advisory was in effect for Puerto Rico and nearby islands after a powerful earthquake struck between Honduras and the Cayman Islands on Saturday evening in the Caribbean Sea.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, prompted authorities to warn of potential sea-level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could pose a hazard to boaters and beachgoers.

No damage was reported in the immediate aftermath of the major quake which was centered more than 100 miles southwest of Georgetown in the Cayman Islands, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The fault line that runs near the islands is known as Cayman Trough and marks the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates.

Aftershocks can last for months or even years after the main event.

The USGS says these mini-earthquakes are caused by the readjustments of the fault and usually not as strong as the original quake.

7 FACTS ABOUT EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes are common in the Caribbean, with some events even being catastrophic for island nations.

In 2021, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, causing significant damage to infrastructure, though the densely populated city of Port-au-Prince was largely spared from damage.

The same nation was devastated in 2010 by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake but due to the event’s shallow depth and its epicenter near the capital, more than 200,000 people were reported killed, according to the United Nations.

In 2020, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred off the coast of Jamaica, with shaking felt from Central America to South Florida, but there were no reports of major damage.

Read more of this story from FOX Weather.