CARIBBEAN / Seismic Activity in the Caribbean Galería
Multimedios  Versión español Seismic activity map, 1498-2010.
The Caribbean region (consisting of Central America, the
northern part of South America, and the Caribbean islands) is
one of the most active seismic zones in the world. Over the past
500 years, very significant earthquakes have caused deaths,
property damage and financial losses. Although dozens of
thousands of earthquakes have occurred in the Caribbean, some
400 are considered significant. The first great earthquake
documented in the region occurred in 1498 in Venezuela. From
that time to today, 434,543 deaths from earthquakes have been
reported, but more than 300,000 died in the January 12, 2010,
earthquake in Haiti alone, and financial losses were greater
than that Caribbean nation's annual budget.  Earthquakes are
concentrated along the borders of the Caribbean Sea and the
Pacific sides of the region's countries. Over the past 500
years, earthquakes up to magnitudes of 8.3 have occurred. B