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Greater Antilles: Northern Caribbean Plate Kinematics Conclusion |
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| Since the Cretaceous Period, this region of the northern Caribbean has undergone convergence including subduction and left-lateral strike-slip motion. As the North American plate continues to subduct below the Caribbean plate east of the Lesser Antilles, strike-slip motion will continue to occur along the northern portion of the plate, where the Greater Antilles are located. Because the oceanic Caribbean plate acts mechanically like a continental plate, earthquakes and other seismic-related events occur more frequently on this plate than on other oceanic plates. This seismicity has recently become of great concern, especially on the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, where more earthquakes seem to be concentrated. In attempts to learn more about the seismic hazards of this area, recently GPS campaigns have been established in over 30 sites throughout the Caribbean. Not only will this geodetic data provide data to aid in seismic hazard prediction, but it will help geoscientists understand more about this tectonically complex region. Figure from Dolan et al., 1998. |