The Trinidad and Tobago weather centre reported that yesterday, May 24, 2023, a strong earthquake with 6.6 magnitudes occurred at a depth of 10 km in Panama at coordinates 8.900°N and 77.100°W.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) claimed that shockwaves were first observed forty-three kilometres northeast of Puerto Obalda, Panama, which is positioned about 1,800 kilometres west of Trinidad and Tobago.
There have been reports of light to intense shaking in Panama and Colombia. This earthquake’s shockwaves also caused shaking in Trinidad & Tobago and the Eastern Caribbean regions.
There is an extremely low possibility that a powerful earthquake in the southwest Caribbean Sea may cause tsunami waves to hit the coasts of northwest Colombia and eastern Panama. For Trinidad, Tobago, and the Eastern Caribbean, there is no tsunami threat.
Seismically, Trinidad and Tobago and the surrounding areas are earthquake-prone zones. Every year, more than 2,200 earthquakes are reported in the Eastern Caribbean.
Since 1990, the Trinidad and Tobago region, defined as the area between 9.5° and 11.5°N and 59.5° and 63.5°W has seen an average of 280 earthquakes per year, claims the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre. Fifty of these seismic events out of these 280 earthquakes have an average magnitude greater than 3.5.
Most earthquakes occur in the region known as North of the Paria Peninsula, which has the second-highest seismicity in the Eastern Caribbean, northwest of Trinidad. The UWI SRC estimates that 65 incidents with a magnitude of 2.1 or higher occur yearly in the region.
According to the statistics, significant earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or 7.9 have occurred in the Eastern Caribbean every 20 to 30 years on average. The last time an earthquake with 7.0 to 7.9 magnitude struck was in 2007.
It’s crucial to remember that seismic activity cannot be forecast, which means that the accurate time, date, magnitude, depth, etc., cannot be predicted in advance based on available knowledge and technology.
Every person residing in Trinidad and Tobago and the eastern Caribbean should prepare for an unexpected earthquake and gather the necessary equipment to tackle any seismic activity soon. In a catastrophe, being prepared beforehand can save a lot of items and even lives.
