U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

SEISMICITY OF THE EARTH 1900 - 2007 OPEN FILE REPORT XXX-A

Si

Seismicity of the Earth 1900 - 2007

gs b
S ig s

be e Es c a rp m

m e e Es c a rp t en

nt

Key Wes t

95
Si g s b e e D e e p

90
Me xi c o B a si n

85
Havan a

Str

of aits

F l o ri

K ey da

ri

da

Caribbe an Plate and Vicinit y

G u l o f M e x i c Gavin Hayes, Antonio Villaseor, Kevin P. Furlong, and Harley Benz Compiled by Arthur C. Tarr, fSusan Rhea, o lo F
ea Gr

Eleuthera New Providence I.

I sla ro s An d

Na r e s P la i n

AT LAN TI C O CEAN
70 65
-300 0 -100 -200
Silve r Ba nk

[References are listed in separate document on website]

TECTONIC SUMMARY

Cat Is land

Ex u m a

80

75
Long I.

San S alvad or

Great Exum a
an

Ba

60
-100 0

Tr

nd

ou

a t B

gh

ha

ma

BAHAMAS

0 0

100

200

300

400

Crooked I . Acklin s I.

Is

-200

ha

la

C a mp e c h e B a n k

Mayaguana I.

nd

s
TU R K S A ND CA I C O S I S . ( U . K . ) Turks Is la nd

Caicos Is. (U .K.) Caic o s Ba nk

Isla de la Juventud

-100 -200 PROFILE A -300

Camaguey

Merid a

CU B A
Gra nd I nagua Island Isla Cozum el Santiago De Cu ba

PROFILE G

20
V eracruz

H i s p an i o l a Tr o ug h

B
n
ta ca

n si

Yu

gh

ou

Tr

Villahermos a

J A M A I C A Kings ton
Yu

Mo

na

Ca

ym

an

Tr

ge Rid

ou

le de la Gonve

HAIT I Port-auPrince

1946
DOM IN ICAN RE P U B L I C Santo Domingo

gh

Gra nd C aym an Island

.) (U.K a Is. ay m n

Na vid a d Ba nk

G'
P U E R T O RI C O T RE NC H

1946
C H

20

1943
PU E R T O R I C O ( U . S . ) San Juan
o

ma

Mona I.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (U.S.) Vieq ues (U.S.) St. Croix

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLAN DS (U.K.) h ug Tr o ro re b m Ang uilla (U.K.)

-400
St. Martin (Fr ance & Neth . An tilles) Bar buda A NT I G U A A ND BARBU DA Antigua Montserr at (U .K.) Guadeloupe (Fr ance) Marie-Galan te

-300

-200

-100

A'

MEXICO

Turneffe Is . Tuxtla Gu tierrez

an

ST . K I T T ' S A ND NE V I S
Le e

Ri d

1902

Gu l f o f Ho n d u ra s

L ig h t n in g B a n k
Ri

A v e s R i dg e

G U A T E M A L A 1976

ay pa g o s

B' B'

dg

San Pedro Sula

Alice Sh o al Se r ra nilla Ban k

e

ge

at

Isla de la Roa tn

ng

dg

BEL IZE

st

B an k
Ki

on

dr

MU E R T O S T R O U G H

St. Kitt' s Nevis

-100

Pe

Ri

Be

Su

Te h p e au n te c R id g e

1950

2 00

L E

OR
nse ca

te

a un

B
0 100 200 300 400

T R EN C

lf Go

Te

od

50

30 0

ha u

Isla de San Andres Man agua

de ua go ag La ar c Ni

1992

10 0

I. del Maiz G rand e

Co

lo

a bi

Ar uba (Neth.)

NE TH ER L A N D S A NT I L L E S Curaao Bon air e

E
Islas Los Roques (Venez .) Isla Orchilla (Venez .)

The G renadines Grenada

ST . V I N C E N T A N D TH E G R E N A D I NE S G R EN A D A

Go l f o d e Ve n e z u e l a Barranq uilla

Isla Blanq uilla (Venez.) Isla de Mar garita (Venez .) T bago o

1900
Caracas

Isla La Tortuga (Venez .)

Tob

E R

2001
I C A
eF o

Isla de Providencia

NIC A R A G U A

i as

St. Vincen t

B ar ba d o s R i dge

ari

1942

San Salvador

LV

AD

a go B as i n

1902
ID

200
EL SA

Tegucigalpa

C'

Cayos Miskito s

V en e z u e l an B a s i n

G r en ad a B a si n

s W i nd w ard Is la nd

n er Ri d g e

F.

Z.

15

Pa

Ro sa lin d Ba nk

w
ar d
I sl
d an
s

F'

-200

PROFILE F

Re s

ear

che

r Ri dge

1 00
Dom inica

DOM IN ICA Martinique (Fr ance)

Gu atemala

H O ND U R A S

CARIBBEAN SEA

15

ST . L U C I A St. Lucia

Bar bados

BARBA DOS

C D'
Cl a r k B a s i n
nk

Cartagen a

Maracaib o Barqu is imeto V alencia Maracay

T RI NI D A D A N D TOBAGO Tr i n i d a d

DATA SOURCES E'

-200 PROFILE B -300

a rl ng a Ri dg

Fisher Seamount

1983

Golfo d e Lo s Mosquitos

Vo

lc

-100

10
Guardian Seamount

1991

an

Ba

C San Jose O

S TA RI CA

Lago de Maracaibo

10 -500
0

-400

-300

-200

-100

Pan ama Ar ch. de las Per las Bah ia de Pa nam

Be

t ua

a am

la

Ba

n si
D

PA NA M A
Golfo d e Chiriqui

1934

I. Coiba

Golfo d e Panam

Cucuta

VE N E Z UE LA

-100 -200 PROFILE E

West Cocos Seamount

Isla del Coco (Costa Rica)

5
Co

s co

d Ri

ge

C o ib a R id g e

PA C I F I C O C E A N

Bucaraman ga

Medellin

-300

Pa n am a B as in
lp el o
R i
e dg

Man izales

Ibagu e

Bogota

MAP EXPLANATION

CH

EN

Cali

CO L OM BI A

Magnitude Classes
4 - 5.9 6 - 6.4 6.5 - 6.9

GU

YA N

Depth of Focus
0 - 69 km 70 - 299 km 300 - 700 k m Nucleation Points

SU R I N A M E

CO

LO

Co ln Ri d ge
Isla Culpepper

MB

IAN

TR

Paramount Seamount

Medina Seamount

1979 1958

7 - 7.4 7.5 7.6

Rupture Zones Active Volcanoes

-100 0

100

200

300

Isla Wenm an

1906
Isla Pinta Isla Marchena

Mean Slab Depth

50 k m 100 200 300 600

0
-100

G a la p a g o s I s l a n d s ( Ar c hi p i l ag o d e C ol n) ( E c u a d o r ) Isla Fer nandina

Isla Isabela

1942
Isla San Salva dor Isla Santa Cruz Isla San Cristba l Isla Santa Maria Isla Es paola Qu ito

7.7

BRA ZI L
dg C ar n e g ie R i
100 200
Algol Seamount

7.8 7.9

Se i s m ic Ha za r d a n d Re l a ti v e Pl a t e M ot i o n
90 W 80 W

NORTH AMERICA PLATE

70 W 60 W

Plate Boundaries
Subduction Transform Divergent
20 N

-200 PROFILE C

ECUA D OR
Gu ayaquil

8.0 8.1 8.2

60 0

NORTH AMERICA PLATE

CUBA MEXICO
20.0 20.0 20.0
20 N

-100 0

Others

HAITI JAMAICA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

PE R U 75

95
Universal Transverse Mercator Projection

90

-100

85
PROFILE D
ij Gr al va d Ri ge

80
0 100 200 Scale 1:8,000,000 300 400 500

70
600 700 800 KILOMETERS

65

60
Digital ma p data base and cartography by Su san Rhea and Art Tarr Digital ma p editing an d illustration by Gayle Dumonceaux De nver Publishing Service Cen ter Manuscript approved for pu blication Mon th Dy, Year

BELIZE

FIGURE EXPLANATION
PUERTO RICO
20.0

10 0

Peak Ground Acceleration

0 - 0.2 m/sec 0.2 - 0.4 0.4 - 0.8 0.8 - 1.6 1.6 - 3.2

GUATEMALA
72.6

HONDURAS

Pre - In s t ru m e nt a l Se i s m i ci t y 1 5 0 0 -1 8 9 9
1842

CARIBBEAN PLATE
20.0

T R E N C H

DEPTH PROFILE EXPLANATION

Magnitude Classes
4 - 5.9 6 - 6.4 6.5 - 6.9 7 - 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 8.0 8.1 8.2

Depth of Focus
0 - 69 km 70 - 299 km 300 - 700 km Nucleation Points Quaternary Volcanoes -100 -200 100 0

-100

100

200

300

400

a v l 500

d ra

ge

Ri

ge

NICARAGUA
81.2 20.0
10 N

600
Sa
rm
i

t en

3.2 - 6.4 6.4 - 9.8

id

1766 1780 1692

An y use of trade names is for d escriptive purposes only and d oes not imply e ndorseme nt by th e U.S. Government This map was produced on request, directly from digital files, on an electronic plotter For sale by U.S. Geological Survey Informatio n Services Box 2 5286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 802 25 1-888-ASK-USGS A PDF for this map is available at http://pubs.u sgs.gov/of/XXXX Suggested citation: Tarr, A.C., an d Susan Rhea, Seismicity of the Carib bean plate and vicinity: U.S. Ge ological Su rvey Open-File Report XXXX, scale 1:8,000,000.

TRENCH AXIS

10 N

COSTA RICA PANAMA

Relative Plate Motion

11.0 - 19.9 20.0 - 39.9 40.0 - 59.9

1770

1673 1843 1839 1897

VENEZUELA

L E H I C

Earth Structure
Air Crust Upper Mantle Transition Zone Lower Mantle

-300 -400 -500 -600 PRO FILE X

17731773 1874 1874 1859 1873 1873 1854

Historical Earthquakes
Tsunami/Deaths (Yr)
1831

COCOS PLATE

65.0

1788

Deaths (Yr) Tsunami

NAZCA PLATE

SOUTH AMERICA PLATE

COLUMBIA

GUYANA
60.0 - 79.9

80.0 - 100.0

1812 1894 1875 1610 1849 1805 1805 1785 1785 1870 1878 1797 1853

Others
0

Plate Boundaries

-700

SURINAME BRAZIL ECUADOR PERU

90 W 80 W 70 W 60 W

Subduction Transform Divergent Others