KINGSTON, Jamaica- Reports from the Earthquake Unit (EQU) have indicated that 2024 was a year of significant seismic activity.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Wednesday at the agency’s head office in Kingston, Head and Research Fellow at the EQU, Kevin Tankoo, said that “2024 was another active year” as several earthquakes were recorded.

“We would have recorded upwards of 600 earthquakes but these included around 310 located local earthquakes,” said Tankoo.

He noted that of the total, 19 were felt earthquakes, encompassing both local events and those occurring in the near region, including areas near Cuba and Haiti.

Tankoo also indicated that last year, the largest magnitude earthquake recorded locally was approximately 5.2 magnitude, and this was felt across the island in different parishes.

“This followed the event that we had in the Blue Mountain block in 2023, that larger earthquake, the 5.6 magnitude,” said Tankoo, adding that “a lot of these local figures that we got both in 2023 and 2024 were as a result of the aftershocks following the larger events.”

The Earthquake Unit is a Research Unit at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

The unit serves as Jamaica’s hub for earthquake monitoring and seismic research.

– JIS

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