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The Caribbean Sea was rocked late Feb. 8 by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake, sending ripples of concern across the region and triggering tsunami warnings in over a dozen countries.
The quake, which struck in the open sea, initially prompted fears of towering waves and dangerous currents, but as the water settled, authorities were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The tsunami warnings have since been rescinded.
What happened and where?
The earthquake was recorded at around Saturday evening local time, with its epicenter located about 20 miles (32.1 km) north of Honduras and 130 miles (209.2 km) southwest of the Cayman Islands, according to geological surveys. It occurred in the shallow crust of the Earth, which is why its effects were initially considered more threatening. Shallow earthquakes, as experts will tell you, tend to pack a bigger punch than their deeper cousins because the energy is released closer to the surface, amplifying its reach.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System wasted no time issuing alerts for more than a dozen countries in the region, warning of waves that could rise as high as three meters (10 feet). Coastal areas in places like Honduras, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands were briefly on high alert. Even residents of the Cayman Islands were urged to move inland as a precaution. However, as the hours passed, it became clear that the worst-case scenario had been avoided. By late at night on Feb. 8, the tsunami threat was officially called off, and downgraded to minor fluctuations in sea levels, with waves limited to less than 30 centimeters (about 12 inches).
The Caribbean is no stranger to seismic activity, and Saturday’s earthquake was yet another reminder of the region’s precarious geological position. The quake struck near the boundary where the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate meet. This is a classic example of a strike-slip fault, where two massive chunks of the Earth’s crust grind past each other horizontally. Think of it like two enormous blocks of rock locked in a slow-motion tug-of-war, with tension building up over years — or even centuries — until it finally releases in a sudden jolt.
The Earth’s tectonic plates are in constant motion, albeit at a snail’s pace — a few centimeters a year. But when stress builds up along a fault line, it can eventually release as an earthquake. The Caribbean region, in particular, is a hotbed for this kind of activity, as it sits on a tectonic boundary where earthquakes aren’t just possible — they’re expected. While most are too small to notice, every so often, the region experiences a major event, like Saturday’s tremor.
If this feels like déjà vu, it’s because significant earthquakes are not a rare occurrence in the Caribbean. In 2021, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, leading to widespread devastation and loss of life. Similarly, in 2018, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake occurred near the same area as Saturday’s event, causing a small tsunami and some structural damage.
In fact, the Caribbean Plate boundary is one of the most geologically active zones in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti, in particular, has borne the brunt of seismic activity in the region, with the catastrophic 2010 earthquake — a 7.0-magnitude event — killing an estimated 200,000 people and leaving millions more displaced.
While the Caribbean’s earthquakes often make headlines, they’re just one piece of the geological puzzle here. The region is also dotted with active volcanic systems, such as Montserrat’s Soufrière Hills Volcano, which erupted dramatically in the 1990s, and Kick ’em Jenny, an underwater volcano near Grenada that poses a unique tsunami hazard. Despite the earthquake’s size and the initial flurry of warnings, the Caribbean can count itself lucky this time around. No injuries or significant damage have been reported. The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center confirmed that no alerts were issued for the mainland United States.