Above: Guadeloupe (CJ photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Guadeloupe and the Eastern Caribbean were shaken by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake on Friday afternoon, according to a report from the United States Geological Survey.

The quake’s epicenter was about 2 kilometers south-southwest of Pointe-Noire and about 24 kilometres north-northwest of the island of Basse-Terre.

The quake, which struck around 3:49 pm local time, caused shaking across the archipelago, and was felt across much of the Eastern Caribbean, including Antigua, St Maarten and Dominica.

There were also reports of shaking as far south as Martinique and to the north in Montserrat.

The strongest shaking was reported in central Guadeloupe, with moderate shaking, followed by weak to light shaking on surrounding islands and in the rest of the Eastern Caribbean region.

There were not yet any reports of damage or injuries.

The Caribbean is a seismically active region.

Updated: Friday, 7:01 PM.