Earthquakes and Tsunamis

Earthquakes occur regularly in the Virgin Islands. The eastward shifting Caribbean plate grinds against the westward moving North American plate, just north of the Virgin Islands along the Puerto Rican Trench. Generally, the quakes are too small for people to notice, and they do not cause tsunamis.

On rare occasions, earthquakes of serious magnitude do occur, and the sea moves with them.
Read an historical account the Virgin Islands Earthquake of 1867 and the tsunami that followed.
Read about the potential for earthquakes and tsunamis in and around the Virgin Islands.

 

Links and Sources

Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands pdf 1.4 MB

Recent Earthquake Activity near the Virgin Islands shows information about seismic activity in the area within the past week.

Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Earthquake Information provides technical and historic data for the area and links to up to the hour seismic information.