From Caribbean360

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, – Amid warnings from scientists that the Caribbean is due for another major earthquake, it’s now official: worldwide, April 2014 chalked up a record number of quakes with magnitudes of 6.5 or higher.

Earthquakes occur daily, with small ones occurring more frequently than once per hour. Moderate-to-large earthquakes are far less common, however, with perhaps 1-2 per month on a long-term average.

April 2014 was not average. Everything was running right on track up until the end of March, and then the ground shifted up into full “Shake, Rattle and Roll” mode.

According to the US National Weather Service, last month was unusual not in the total number of earthquakes that occurred, but in how many moderate and large ones happened, with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issuing official message products for 13 different earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.5 or higher, easily a record for this institution.

Of those 13, PTWC issued tsunami warnings for five:

1 April, M8.2, northern Chile

3 April, M7.8, northern Chile

12 April, M7.6, Solomon Islands

13 April, M7.7, Solomon Islands

19 April, M7.8, Solomon Islands

Nicaragua, Mexico, Canada, and the south Atlantic Ocean also experienced quakes with magnitudes of 6.5 or higher.

The center gave no indication as to what might be behind the unusual spike in major seismic activity, but fortunately no catastrophic damage has been reported.

The Chile quakes are nevertheless said to have claimed the lives of several people, and reportedly generated 6.5-foot-high waves in Chile and nearly 2-foot-tall waves in Hilo, Hawaii.

While there was no tsunami in the Solomon Islands, strong currents and heavy waves pounded the reefs, prompting some evacuations.

The Solomon Islands are located on the “Ring of Fire” – an arc of earthquake and volcanic activity that stretches around the Pacific Rim.

LOCATION OF MAJOR EARTHQUAKES. (CREDIT: USGS)

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