Saturday 18 April 2015

Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake off the Paria Peninsula, Venezuela.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 76.0 km roughly 15 km north of the the Paria Peninsula on the north coast of Venezuala, slightly before 9.55 pm local time on Wednesday 15 April 2015 (slightly before 2.55 am on Thursday 16 April, GMT). This was a large quake, but at some depth as well as some way offshore, and there are no reports of any casualties or damage, though the quake was felt over a large area, with people reporting feeling it across much of northeast Venezuela, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St Lucya.

The approximate location of the 15 April 2015 Paria Peninsula Earthquake. Google Maps.

The Paria Peninsula forms part of the southern margin of the Caribbean Plate, which is moving eastward compared to the South American Plate, upon which the rest of Venezuela sits. This is not a smooth process, the two plates constantly stick together, then break apart as the pressure builds up, causing Earthquakes in the process. 

See also...

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake at a depth of 79.4 km roughly 20 km north of the the Paria Peninsula on the north...



Soufrière Hills is an active stratovolcano (singular, 'Hills' is part of the name; a single cone-shaped volcano with several summits) in the south of the island of Montserrat, in the Leeward Islands. The summit of the volcano rises 915 m above sea-level, and it has a...



Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.