Friday, February 7, 2020

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. 
Image result for barbados on tectonic plate map
Sources: https://traveltips.usatoday.com/major-landforms-puerto-rico-104764.html
https://www.barbadospocketguide.com/our-island-barbados/geology.html

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2 comments:

  1. Ana GGFebruary 8, 2020 at 3:16 PM

    Very nice setting. It seems that it will suffer the consequences of this active tectonic setting...looking forward to next weeks' quakes...

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2020 at 10:56 PM

    Hey Paige! I heard previously that Barbados is beautiful, I have yet to visit! Fun fact...I loooove Riri, I thought that was cool to throw in! Anyway, I wonder, since Jamaica also sits on the Caribbean plate like Barbados, would they both feel the same Natural Hazards or to far to correlate? Thanks for sharing!

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