A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake sent shockwaves through the Caribbean Sea over the weekend, causing tsunami alerts to be raised for a dozen islands, with other Caribbean nations on high alert due to the potential threat.
The US Tsunami Warning System had initially issued warnings to more than a dozen of countries – including waves of up to three metres (10ft). But, it later said the threat had passed. Advisories were also issued by the Tsunami Warning System for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands following the earthquake – which were both also later cancelled.
On Saturday the National Weather Service warned, “Earthquakes of this size are known to generate tsunamis dangerous to shorelines near the source,” A watch list has been compiled, including Colombia, Haiti, Belize, Saba, Aruba, Curacao, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Panama, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Honduras, Mexico, Bonaire, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Jamaica—all of which experienced tremors 209 km southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands.
Yet, one weather expert has taken to platform X to alleviate fears of a tsunami. Atmospheric scientist Matthew Cappucci stated, “It was shallow, with a depth of barely 7 miles,” explaining that the quake’s nature—a “strike-slip” with limited vertical movement—means there’s a minimal risk of a significant wave.
“This was a lateral ‘strike-slip’ quake; minimal up/down motion, so very low tsunami threat,” he clarified, offering reassurance. The USGS remains unfazed as well, noting that “Large earthquakes at this location of the plate boundary are not unexpected.”
They noted: “Luckily, the remote location of these earthquakes limits the potential for significant damage due to shaking,” reports The Mirror US.
In the past century, at least ten powerful quakes with a magnitude of six or more have occurred within 250 km of the recent tremor’s epicentre. There’s historical evidence too – in 2018, a quake of 7.5 magnitude, caused by a similar event, spawned a small tsunami that created quite the commotion.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stated that this latest earthquake is the strongest to strike the area since 2021, when Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude quake. Moreover, in 2023, Haiti suffered another blow with a magnitude-five earthquake, which resulted in extensive damage.
