The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre says while the increased seismic activity in the Eastern Caribbean is not enough on its own to suggest something menacing is coming this way, there could be destructive earthquakes in the region in the future.
Well over a dozen earthquakes have been recorded around the same general area since last Thursday – between 97 kilometers and 174 kilometers northeast of Barbados – with the largest 6.4 magnitude quake in the morning felt by residents of Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Vincent, and Trinidad.
Having had to field questions from many residents about whether the increased seismic activity is a precursor to a much larger and destructive quake, the Trinidad-based Seismic Research Centre used its Facebook page to respond to those concerns over the weekend.
It pointed out that when a large magnitude earthquake occurs, it is normally followed by a large number of aftershocks, adding that this is simply the earth adjusting to the stress changes that resulted from the earthquake.
It further noted that the region has been experiencing more aftershocks then it has made public, acknowledging that only tremors larger than 3.8 magnitude have been posted online.
