On Sunday 04 October, 2020 at 3:15 pm a 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Trinidad and Tobago with the effects being felt also in the Windward Islands. No serious damages were reported. The quake occurred at a depth of 56 km with its epicentre at approximately 32 km from Trinidad's north coast and 89 km from Crown Point, Tobago.
Citizens as far as south as Rio Claro experienced the shaking. Descriptions varied from a small rocking that lasted for 2 to 5 seconds to a strong shaking lasting about 15 seconds.
The earthquake's epicentre was within zone 4 of 8 earthquake zones around Trinidad and Tobago. In this zone, according to Trinidad and Tobago Weather Centre, earthquakes are associated with the subducting slab of the South American Plate, resulting in a deeper event of depths between 40-55 km, but it can be deeper. Quakes in this area can also be associated with the North Coast Fault System, which runs just offshore the Northern Coast of Trinidad, where events are usually less than 40 km in depth. This area typically produces light (M4.0-4.9) or moderate (M5.0-5.9) magnitude earthquakes. Earthquakes in this zone tend to produce less aftershocks than earthquakes elsewhere across Trinidad and Tobago.
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