T139 The 2019–2020 Southwestern Puerto Rico Earthquake Sequence and the Intersection between Geoscience Research, Education, and Communication

Wednesday, 28 October 2020
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Meeting Rooms

AN UNFORGETTABLE THREE KINGS DAY IN PUERTO RICO: SOUTHWESTERN PUERTO RICO EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE

Paper number: T139-13
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 4:20 PM – 4:35 PM

Authors

Abstract

December 28th, 2019 marked the beginning of a seismic sequence related to a fault system in southwestern Puerto Rico, an island located in the Great Antilles of the Caribbean. This seismic event caused anxiety and concern for Puerto Ricans, with every moment was full of fear and uncertainty. On January 6th and 7th, 2020, major events of magnitude 5.8 and 6 .4, respectively, occurred during early morning hours, where the entire island woke up in a panic. The sun rose differently in Puerto Rico as the ground did not stop shaking. As future professionals in geosciences, engineering, medicine, and the arts, we collaborated to support communities located near the epicenter of the earthquakes. Many students associations from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus,- joined together; some of these were the Students’ Geological Society (SGE-UPRM), Students for Space Exploration and Space Development (SEDS-UPRM), and the Puerto Rico Meteorological Society (SMPR-AMS Local Chapter) to promote science education and distribute supplies. The student associations were a small portion of thousands of Puerto Ricans who managed to visit the affected municipalities. Also, by visiting a zone of perceptible risk, we experience fear and preoccupation. However, our commitment to people was stronger. As the aftershocks continued, it was evident that our duty went beyond distributing supplies; it was a social and emotional commitment, not only as future scientist but as Puerto Ricans.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 52, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2020AM-359013

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