Cuba is located in an area with several active fault systems which produce on average about 2000 seismic events each year. While most registered seismic events pass unnoticed, the island has been struck by a number of destructive earthquakes over the past four centuries, including several major quakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or above. Notable earthquakes in recent Cuban history include the following: M = Magnitude on the Richter magnitude scale (ML), except where noted Intensity= Intensity on the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS-98), which is somewhat similar to the Modified Mercalli scale (MM)