Grenada

Grenada lies at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc, adjacent to the more seismically active boundary zone between the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate to the south. The island's seismicity comes from multiple sources: the Lesser Antilles [[subduction-zone]] to the east, where the Atlantic plate dives beneath the Caribbean; local volcanic-tectonic activity from the submarine volcano Kick 'em Jenny, which lies approximately 8 kilometres north of Grenada and has erupted multiple times in recorded history; and the diffuse boundary zone between the Caribbean and South American plates that passes south of Trinidad. Kick 'em Jenny is the eastern Caribbean's most active submarine volcano and the source of frequent small-to-moderate earthquakes associated with its volcanic system, as well as a potential [[tsunami]] source if a large flank collapse were to occur. The island's volcanic rocks and steep terrain make it susceptible to landslides triggered by strong shaking.

The most notable recent seismic event near Grenada was the January 2007 earthquake sequence, in which a magnitude 5.8 event followed by a magnitude 5.4 [[aftershock]] caused significant damage to older masonry buildings in the island's interior. The 2001 submarine eruption of Kick 'em Jenny was preceded by a swarm of small earthquakes and raised the exclusion zone around the volcano to 1.5 kilometres. The volcano last showed confirmed eruptive activity in 2001, with subsequent unrest episodes in 2014 and 2015. A significant [[tsunami]] generated by a large Kick 'em Jenny flank collapse would have very limited warning time for Grenada's northern coast. Historical records from the 1800s document felt earthquakes from the Lesser Antilles subduction zone reaching Grenada, including effects from the great 1843 Guadeloupe earthquake (estimated magnitude 8.0). The overall seismic hazard for Grenada is moderate, with the volcanic system representing the most locally distinctive threat.

The geology of Grenada reflects its position at the southern end of the active volcanic arc, with the island composed of Pliocene and Pleistocene volcanic rocks overlying older arc material. Unlike islands further north in the volcanic arc, Grenada has no currently active subaerial volcano — the most recent volcanic products are the parasitic Kick 'em Jenny submarine cone rather than an island edifice. The carbonate overlying cap on the island's older volcanic basement has partially obscured the volcanic geology. The proximity to the Caribbean-South American plate boundary gives the southernmost Lesser Antilles islands including Grenada a somewhat different tectonic character from the central and northern arc, with more influence from South American plate margin processes. [[seismic-wave]]s from South American subduction events occasionally reach Grenada with sufficient energy to cause felt motion.