The 2007 Martinique earthquake took place on November 29 2007 at 15:00:19 local time in the Windward Islands region, underneath the Martinique Passage. It was a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that occurred 18 km (11 mi) west northwest from Basse-Pointe, Martinique.[2]
This earthquake was felt strongly in Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Power outages were reported in Martinique, Dominica and Guadeloupe. It was also felt in other Eastern Caribbean islands, from Puerto Rico to the north to Trinidad and Tobago to the south. It could also be felt in part of South America such as in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.[3] In Caracas, Venezuela, some people evacuated office buildings.[4] The intensity reached VI to VII on the EMS98 scale in Martinique and Dominica.[5]
In the surrounding region, the South American Plate is subducting beneath the Caribbean Plate. This earthquake occurred within the South America Plate and was in response to stresses generated by the slow distortion of the plate.
See also
References
- ^ a b c ISC (19 January 2015), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 2.0, International Seismological Centre
- ^ a b USGS. "M7.4 - 18 km WNW of Basse-Pointe, Martinique". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ "Caribseek Guyana News | Guyana experienced earthquake event - GINA News". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ^ British Broadcasting Corporation (November 30, 2007). "Strong earthquake hits Martinique". BBC News. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
- ^ Loi d'atténuation B-Cube pour l’évaluation rapide des intensités sismiques probables dans l'Archipel de Guadeloupe
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.