Antigua and Barbuda recorded its 20th earthquake in less than a week early this morning, as a persistent seismic swarm continues to shake the eastern Caribbean.
The latest tremor, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake, struck at 2:13 am local time approximately 264 kilometers east-southeast of Saint John’s, according to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre. The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers beneath the ocean floor.
This comes after 19 other tremors recorded in the same area near the twin island nation just this week alone. The sequence started with a powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake on Monday morning, October 27, which was followed by multiple significant aftershocks including magnitudes 6.1 and 5.4.
The majority of the events have been clustered in waters between 220 and 280 kilometers from major population centers including Saint John’s, Point-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe, and Roseau in Dominica.
The UWI Seismic Research Centre continues to monitor the situation closely. The preliminary location for this morning’s earthquake was automatically calculated by computer algorithms and remains subject to potential revisions pending evaluation by SRC analysts.
The eastern Caribbean sits along the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically active regions in the Americas. While earthquake swarms are not uncommon in the region, the intensity and frequency of this particular sequence remain notable.
Residents are advised to remain alert and follow guidance from local emergency management authorities as seismic activity continues in the area.
Mother Nature has been restless lately. Everyone should make sure their emergency plans are in place.
This is no small thing 20 earthquakes in one week? Something is definitely happening beneath us. I hope the authorities are monitoring this closely and that NODS keeps the public informed.
Wow what’s going on here?
Lord, I living here all my life and never feel so many quakes one after the other. Something not right. I keeping my go-bag by the door just in case.
Every morning I wake up checking Antigua.news to see if another one hit. My whole family still lives in Liberta, and we’re scared of what might come next. Please keep posting updates! My aunty said last weeks shaking was madddddddddd
Twentieth this week? That’s more than I ever expected. Is the ground trying to tell us something?