Karma's Blog

Hi everyone! Welcome to my Week 5 Blog Post. :)  Jamaica does not have any active volcanoes, but interestingly it is believed to have been formed as a result of prehistoric volcanic activity. More specifically, scientists presume that over 40 million years ago, Jamaica was was created as a result of an underwater volcanic eruption!  Although Jamaica does not have any volcanic activity, the eastern region of the Caribbean does. According to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean, or Lesser Antilles, form a curved chain of volcanic islands along the eastern margin of the Caribbean Sea. This chain of volcanic islands are referred to as an "island arc," but only the western arc is active. Furthermore, the Lesser Antilles has 21 volcanoes that are likely to erupt again, all of which are dispersed across 11 volcanically active islands. In the Eastern Caribbean region, volcanic eruptions are one of the most threatening hazards

 Hello everyone! Welcome to my Week 3 Blog. :) This week, we learned more about earthquakes, specifically the way countries have learned to prevent and mitigate the negative impacts they produce.  Annually, around 200 earthquakes occur in and around Jamaica, most of which have magnitudes of less than 4.0. The regions that have the highest seismic hazard are located in Jamaicas most important urban areas, located in the southeastern region of the island (seen in map above). In just last year alone, Jamaica experienced an unusual surge in seismic activity, with a total of over 320 earthquakes. According to the Earthquake Unit, this number of recorded events surpassed the numbers documented in past years. Out of these events, the largest one had a magnitude of 5.6, which categorizes it as a moderate earthquake.  Now you may be wondering: How does Jamaica prepare for, prevent, and mitigate the effects of the earthquakes they so frequently experience?  The Director General of the Office of