Have you seen all the recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico? Click here to see our recent news story about the earthquakes.
The U.S. Geological Survey shows there have been hundreds of earthquakes in this area since December, but the magnitude of the earthquakes seems to have increased since December 28. In fact the USGS has been providing daily updates on earthquake activity in the area since January 7 (click here to see that log).
Puerto Rico is at the convergence of the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates, but the USGS said, "the location and focal mechanism solution for the event are consistent with an intraplate tectonic setting within the lithosphere of the Caribbean plate, rather than on the plate boundary between the two plates." Basically they are saying these quakes are occurring within the Caribbean plate, not where the North American and Caribbean plates meet.
Here's a further explanation of the layout and activity around the plates (from USGS): "To the north of Puerto Rico, North America subducts beneath the Caribbean plate along the Puerto Rico trench. To the south of the island, and south of today’s earthquake, Caribbean plate lithosphere subducts beneath Puerto Rico at the Muertos Trough."
Image Credit: USGS
The earthquake forecast from USGS Sunday said, "the likelihood of a M 6.0 or larger aftershock over the next 7 days is 11 percent. There is also a high likelihood of M 3.0+ aftershocks in the coming week; these M 3.0+ quakes may be felt near the epicenters. The rate of aftershocks will continue to decline over time. A large aftershock or new mainshock would, once again, increase the frequency and magnitude of aftershocks."
