Venezuela earthquakes lift Trinidad & Tobago’s Coastline by 20 feet

Trinidad & Tobago: A major part of Trinidad’s south-western coast was lifted nearly 20 feet upwards after deadly earthquakes shook Venezuela last week. This coastal movement created disturbances in the Galfa coastline and trapped hundreds of sea animals among the rubble.

On the afternoon of Saturday, Venezuela reported more than 400 aftershocks and more than 1,400 deaths which rose to 1,450 today. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes have led to a coastal movement in Trinidad’s south-western coast.

After the quakes, the resident of Cedros first discovered the raised seabed along an isolated strip of the Galfa coast on the next morning.

The residents observed that parts of the ground had been pushed upward by approximately 20 feet. The shoreline was lifted and it was littered with hundreds of dead or dying fish, crabs, clams and even a stingray. Small pools of bubbling water settled along the shore of the beach, some emitting an unidentified substance.

A local named Kamal said that he felt delusional because the whole area was supposed to be flat and he saw the whole area rise up in a split second. He said that the area rose up the same night of the earthquakes.

“When I looked at the land, there was a set of fish. Within a split second, everything rose. If it was something gradual, the fish would have escaped,” he said.

Speaking in an interview, Geologist Xavier Moonan said the phenomenon might have been caused by reactivated slump, which is caused by the saturated soil and rocks. The slump, a type of landslide that moves rock masses downhill, was likely triggered by the recent physical shifting and shaking by the earthquakes.

Moonan also said that this phenomenon has occurred before in 2018. When a 6.9 magnitude earthquake near Trinidad led to the movement of land and also affected Los Iros.

Last year, activity at Los Iros mud volcano also caused a similar upthrust along the shoreline, affecting a number of bordering farmlands. However, the two events might not be connected, he added.

While this event has not caused any major destruction because no homes or farms were situated nearby, a building associated with an oil company has reportedly seen some damage.

Moonan also cautioned that both the Cedros and Los Iros area are slipping and they are nowhere near stable anymore. He said that no matter what is done, the cliffs will eventually collapse.