Volcanoes in Barbados

The island of Barbados itself is not a volcanic island, but since it is located in the Eastern Caribbean near many volcanic islands such as St. Kitts and Grenada, it suffers from the aftermath of volcanic eruptions like falling ash and tsunamis. There are 19 active volcanoes in the Eastern Caribbean including Kick 'Em Jenny.

Kick 'Em Jenny is an active submarine volcano located 260 km southwest of Barbados. It was first discovered in 1939 after an eruption caused an ash cloud to rise over the ocean and be seem by people on the island. While difficult to monitor due to the fact that it's underwater, 13 eruptions have been noted since 1939 causing minor tsunamis in Grenada.

Although Barbados is not a volcanically active country, it is near many volcanoes, and therefore they make sure to educate citizens on what to do in the event of an earthquake. They also monitor all seismic activity very closely.

Sources: http://uwiseismic.com/General.aspx?id=46
https://geology.com/volcanoes/kick-em-jenny/
https://www.paho.org/disasters/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1162:risk-management-a-barbados&Itemid=812&lang=en
https://www.oas.org/pgdm/document/BITC/papers/gibbs/gibbs_02.htm

Earthquakes in Barbados

Barbados deals with many small earthquakes as a result of being located in a subduction zone. It has had three earthquakes in the past year with a magnitude of 1.5 or greater and there was a M4.7 earthquake in Bridgetown this past year, which is the largest in its history. Because it doesn't have a history of large quakes, it is considered a medium risk for seismic activity. Barbados suffers from hurricanes than anything else, which will be further discussed in future posts. While earthquakes aren't preventable it seems like Barbados is doing what they can by educating citizens on how to deal with them when they happen, and also having experts monitor earthquake patterns so they can hopefully be prepared.

Sources: https://earthquaketrack.com/p/barbados/recent
http://thinkhazard.org/en/report/24-barbados/EQ
https://www.barbadosadvocate.com/news/%E2%80%98barbados-not-immune-earthquakes%E2%80%99

Barbados and Tectonic Plates

Barbados is located along the edges of the Caribbean and South American plates, which makes it a subduction zone. Being located on a subduction zone means that Barbados is at high risk for earthquakes, volcanoes, and even tsunamis. Barbados quite literally arose from the shifting of one tectonic plate under another, causing oceanic sediments to rise. This is also the reason that there are so many coral reefs in Barbados. While Barbados is beautiful, and the birthplace of Rihanna (fun fact!), it is at high risk for natural hazards and therefore you should take precautions if you decide to vacation there. 

Sources: https://traveltips.usatoday.com/major-landforms-puerto-rico-104764.html
https://www.barbadospocketguide.com/our-island-barbados/geology.html