Venezuelan earthquake lifts stretch of Trinidad’s south-western coastline
Residents of Galfa woke to find part of the shore raised by at least 20 feet, with dead fish, crabs and stingrays stranded, after the twin quakes in Venezuela.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago. Geologists in Trinidad say they are baffled but not surprised that a portion of the island’s south-western coastline has been raised by at least 20 feet following last week’s earthquakes in neighbouring Venezuela.
Residents of the coastal district of Galfa awoke on Thursday to find parts of the coastline elevated and immediately linked it to the two major quakes in Venezuela and dozens of aftershocks since.
The earthquakes have killed nearly 2,000 people in Venezuela, with authorities reporting that up to 70,000 more are believed to be missing beneath collapsed buildings.
A reactivated slump
Local geologists, including those at the local campus of the University of the West Indies, agreed with residents that the change was linked to the seismic activity in Venezuela, which lies just seven miles south of Trinidad.
The Express newspaper quoted geologist Xavier Moonan as saying the situation had been caused by a reactivated slump linked to saturated soil and rocks.
“When it slumped downward, it lifted the coast, part of the beach, and the seabed,” he said. “It happened so quickly that it caught fish, crabs and stingrays off guard and they were left out of the water, where they eventually died.”
“The beach was lifted up because the hillside was tilted down,” he added.
Signs of movement
Local media have reported major land slippages, signs of continuing land movement, bubbling water pools, oil seeps, hissing natural gas and large fissures in the reshaped land. Residents also reported dozens of dead fish, crabs and other marine animals.
The tremors were felt in several neighbouring countries, including Guyana and islands further north in the Caribbean chain.
Galfa and nearby areas are home to several mud volcanoes that occasionally spew mud and draw the attention of the authorities. Trinidad has been an oil and gas producer for more than 100 years.
