FOUR MINOR EARTHQUAKES

Posted on 09/29/2015

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre recorded four earthquakes off Barbados and Trinidad on Sunday, ranging in magnitude from 3.8 to 4.5. No damage or injuries were reported.  
The first was the weakest. It occurred at 5 a.m., at a depth of 70 kilometres, about 123 km northeast of Bridgetown, Barbados, 254 km east of Castries, St Lucia and 279 km east southeast of Fort-de-France, Martinique. Less than half hour later – at 5:28 a.m. – the strongest for the day occurred about 136 km northeast of Bridgetown, Barbados, 270 km east of Castries, St Lucia and 295 km east southeast of Fort-de-France in Martinique. That 4.5 magnitude quake occurred at a depth of 82 km. Then at 8:36 a.m. and 8:49 a.m., two 3.9 magnitude quakes were recorded. The first of those occurred 64 km deep in roughly the same location as the previous tremor – 130 km northeast of Bridgetown, Barbados, 260 km east of Castries, St Lucia and 284 km east southeast of Fort-de-France, Martinique.

The last one was close to Trinidad. The SRC said that quake’s location was 59 km northwest of the capital, Port of Spain, 77 km northwest of Arima and 102 km northwest of San Fernando. The centre’s director, Dr. Joan Latchman, in separate interviews with the media in Barbados and Trinidad over the weekend, said a big earthquake is likely going to occur at some point.