British Virgin Islands’ Seismic Monitoring System Gets a Boost

Above: the BVI

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The British Virgin Islands’ seismic monitoring system has gotten a new boost.

The territory recently saw the installation of a tide gauge that is part of a regional tsunami warning system currently being developed in the Caribbean.

The gauge was installed by a pair of “scientific instrumentation specialists” from the Puerto Rico Strong Motion Programme at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez.

“It is part of a network of about seven tide gauges around the Caribbean which work together with the seismic stations to generate alerts if an earthquake occurs, and there is the possibility of a tsunami developing,” said Juan Lugo Toro, one of the two specialists.

The tide gauge has two sensors, one of which serves as the backup if the primary sensor fails.

“It will help with our tsunami warning system and it is also essential for observing sea level rise and other long-term changes in the coastline,” said Christopher Williams, technical planning officer at the BVI’s Department of Disaster Management.

The BVI’s seismic monitoring network includes two seismic stations and almost 30 strong motion sensors placed across the territory.