The Caribbean region lies on the Caribbean Plate, one of the smaller plates to be found on the Earth’s crust.

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Countries that are on the margins of this plate experience seismic activities such as volcanoes and earthquakes.​

The Caribbean Plate

1. ​Includes countries that are not considered Caribbean

2. ​Excludes countries that are considered Caribbean

Problems with this definition:

​Countries in the Greater Antilles like Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico tend to experience earthquakes.

​​Earthquakes

Countries in the Lesser Antilles such as Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines experience volcanoes.

​​Volcanoes

​Tectonic activities in the Caribbean

When La Soufriere erupted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021, Barbados also experienced severe ash fall though the eruption did not occur there.

Ash fall in Barbados

While the last tsunami to impact the Caribbean was in 1946 in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, this is still something to be mindful of when earthquakes occur in the sea.

​​Tsunami

​Even though the epicenter of an earthquake may be in one country, tremors can still be felt miles away and depending on the magnitude can cause damage.

​​Earthquake tremors

Impacts of seismic activity