Earthquake rattles several Eastern Caribbean countries
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – A earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 rattled three Eastern Caribbean countries early on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
The Trinidad-based Seismic Research Centre (SRC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) said that the quake occurred at 2.03 am (local time) and was at a depth of 31 kilometre (km).
The tremor was felt 29 km, west north west of Basseterre, the capital of St Kitts-Nevis, 107 km north west of Brades in Montserrat and 129 km west north west of St John’s the Antigua and Barbuda capital.
Meanwhile, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), which continuously monitors the Soufrière Hills Volcano, reported that it had recorded “a brief but intense swarm of Volcano-Tectonic (VT) earthquakes which lasted approximately 90 minutes, three days ago.
It said 93 VT events were recorded in the swarm, the two largest having magnitudes of 3.3. The VTs were located at depths of 2-3 kilometres beneath the dome, similar to almost all VT events during the current pause.
“This swarm was probably the most intense seen since the pause began on 11 February 2010. It is comparable to a VT swarm on 23 March 2012, which lasted almost three hours and was accompanied by ash venting. That swarm largest VT had a magnitude of 3.6.,” the MVO reported.
In the meantime, also early Monday morning, in the northern Caribbean, Jamaica was rocked by a earthquake with preliminary magnitude 6.1. That quake occurred about 1am local time; there were no reports of inury or damage.
