Moderate earthquake strikes eastern Caribbean; There is no tsunami threat

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The earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale hit the Caribbean at 10:59 pm local time tonight. Photo: USGS

The United States Geological Survey and the University of the West Indies Earthquake Research Center both reported that a moderate-magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck shortly before in the eastern Caribbean. The earthquake occurred at 10:59 p.m. local time, approximately 75 miles northwest of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and about 75 miles southwest of Saint George in Grenada. The epicenter was located about 67 miles northeast of Venezuela’s coast, and the town of Caropano was the closest city in Venezuela to the earthquake. The earthquake struck at a depth of 42 miles.

The earthquake did not appear to have been strong enough to cause a tsunami; As such, there is no tsunami threat to the Caribbean or the East Coast of the United States at this time.

There is no tsunami warning in effect at this time of this earthquake.

Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. In the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not get very high. But as the waves travel towards land, they build up at higher and higher altitudes as the ocean depth decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on the depth of the ocean rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunamis may travel at the same speed as jets over deep water, and only slow down when they reach shallow water. While tsunamis are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers because tides have nothing to do with these giant waves.

The Eastern Caribbean is an example of an island arc system that formed at convergent plate boundaries. In this case, there is a subduction zone where two plates meet, with a denser plate divided below the lighter plate. With this dynamic activity, earthquakes and volcanoes can become very common in this part of the world.

Most earthquakes that occur in the eastern Caribbean are either tectonic or volcanic in origin. Tectonic earthquakes are generated when plates move and accumulated energy is released in the form of Earth’s shaking. As magma moves within the Earth’s lithosphere, volcanic earthquakes can occur. In this case, since the magma is less dense than the rock that surrounds it, it rises to the surface, breaking up the rock as it moves. When these rocks break, earthquakes are generated.

Just last April, the eastern Caribbean experienced a major volcanic eruption. La Soufriere erupted in Saint Vincent; It is the only active volcano on that island in the Caribbean.

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