Please see here for our 2026 C.O.R.E report.
Seismic Research Centre, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. Monday 29th June 2026 – This year, The UWI-SRC was pleased to welcome Mr Braeden Barry and Ms Shannon Madoo for the 2026 C.O.R.E (Creating Opportunities through Research and Experience) internship cycle.
C.O.R.E is the Centre’s 8 week July-August vacation program for highly-motivated university students and recent graduates (2 years) interested in pursuing geoscience careers. Ms Shannon Madoo focused on designs for the Hans Stecher Rock and Mineral Museum along with the sorting and cataloguing of the stamp and mineral collection. This year’s other project had Mr. Braeden Barry originally focused on the GIS component for the Trinidad & Tobago Microzonation Project (TTMP). However, his project objectives shifted after the ground deformation was observed along the south western coastline in Trinidad: a result of low frequency shaking from the Venezuela earthquakes. Under the supervision of Kafele Reddock, he worked on geophysical data taken at various deformations sites and also conducted fieldwork with the TTMP team. See here for full details of both original projects.
Interns listening in during the rotation to the Electronics Department as part of the internship experience.
Our successful candidates experienced a comprehensive understanding of the Centre’s operations with weekly ‘Apprentice Session’ rotations to each section. While learning new skills, it allowed them the opportunity to experience the work of our Technicians, Seismologists, Geophysicists, Volcanologists and Outreach Officers.
On Friday 21st August, our interns gave their presentations on work done over the internship to staff and were awarded their certificates. We wish them continued success in their future endeavors.
The 2026 C.O.R.E interns (Shannon Madoo (L) & Braeden Barry (R) holding their certificates of completion at the front of The UWI-SRC building.
The UWI-SRC had the pleasure of hosting an intern through a collaboration with the Asociación Latinoamericana de Volcanología (ALVO) and the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI). For three weeks, Mr Juan Alvarez experienced an immersive monitoring experience at the Centre and he shared his thoughts here.
Under the supervision of Mr Kafele Reddock, Juan experienced intense fieldwork along the Southwestern coast of Trinidad. He assisted in the continued assessment of the ground deformation observed after the rare doublet earthquakes in Venezuela. He also experienced work with the Geophysics and Outreach teams. He presented the work undertaken on his final day at the Centre. We wish Juan all the best with his future studies and hope he returns to work with us in the future.
Collage of work and adventures during the 3 week internship at The UWI-SRC
SRC, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. Wednesday, July 01, 2026 – A team of UWI-SRC staff visited the Galfa Point/L’Envieuse to conduct fieldwork on ground deformation recorded at the site on Saturday 27th June, 2026.
Preliminary assessment of data gathered at the Galfa Point/L’Envieuse ground deformation site suggests, that the event was indeed triggered by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 Venezuelan earthquakes. This event bears similarity to the ground deformation that occurred at Los Iros following the magnitude 6.9 event in 2018. Both events occurred due to the seismic characteristic and geology of the sites.
More technical details can be found here
As we continue to assess the data, as well as drone footage of the area, we will provide a more comprehensive technical report on the ground deformation observed.
The UWI-SRC, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. Tuesday, May 19, 2026. — Staff of The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO)began a two-week technical knowledge exchange led by Cuba’s National Seismic Research Institute (CENAIS). The activity forms part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Seismic Risk Management Project funded by the European Union under the HIP ECHO programme. The training commenced on Monday May 18th at The UWI-SRC’s headquarters in St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago.
The training will focus on the introduction and contextualization of SeisComP (Seismological Communication Processor), an open-source software platform used globally for real-time seismic data acquisition, processing, interactive analysis, and information distribution within national and regional monitoring systems. Director of UWI-SRC Dr Erouscilla Joseph noted that “this technical exchange represents a valuable opportunity to strengthen collaboration among Caribbean institutions working to reduce seismic risk and enhance regional resilience. Through the sharing of expertise, operational experience, and tools such as SeisComP, we are not only building technical capacity but also fostering stronger partnerships that are essential for effective disaster risk management across Small Island Developing States. The UWI Seismic Research Centre is pleased to host our colleagues from CENAIS and to contribute to this important South–South cooperation initiative supported by UNDP and the European Union.”
Full statement from the UNDP can be found here
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About The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC)
The Seismic Research Centre was set up in 1953 and became part of The UWI in 1962. From its headquarters in Trinidad, it operates a volcano and earthquake monitoring network throughout the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean islands extending from St. Kitts & Nevis to Trinidad &Tobago. The UWI-SRC is responsible for monitoring earthquake and volcanic activity in these islands. The region in which these countries are located is seismically active and historically has been the site of earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8.0. There are at least 19 live volcanoes in the region, which have been the sites of numerous eruptions, most recently in Montserrat (1995-present), Dominica (1997, phreatic) and St. Vincent & the Grenadines (2020-present). The UWI-SRC currently manages the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), which is responsible for monitoring the on-going eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano.
The UWI Seismic Research Centre appoints new Seismologist
St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago W.I. – March 10th, 2026 – This week The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) welcomed our new seismologist Dr. Abayomi Osotuyi.
Dr. Osotuyi has assumed the role of seismologist succeeding Dr. Rodrigo Contreras Arratia. He will now provide oversight of the Seismology section and continue to develop the seismology research programme at the Centre.
Dr. Osotuyi holds a Ph.D. in Geophysics and Seismology from the University of Science and Technology of China and a M.Sc. in Applied Geophysics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Before joining The UWI-SRC, he was a visiting scholar and Research and Teaching Associate at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China. His research interests include 3D seismic interpretation, seismic imaging and geophysical data processing. We wish Dr. Osotuyi all success during his time at the UWI-SRC.
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About The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC)
The Seismic Research Centre was set up in 1953 and became part of The UWI in 1962. From its headquarters in Trinidad, it operates a volcano and earthquake monitoring network throughout the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean islands extending from St. Kitts & Nevis to Trinidad and Tobago. The UWI-SRC is responsible for monitoring earthquake and volcanic activity in these islands. The region in which these countries are located is seismically active and historically has been the site of earthquakes of magnitude greater than 8.0 There are at least 19 live volcanoes in the region, which has been the site of numerous eruptions, most recently in Montserrat (1995-present), Dominica (1997, phreatic) and St. Vincent & the Grenadines (2020-present). The UWI-SRC currently manages the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), which is responsible for monitoring the on-going eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano.
Please see here for our annual report for the reporting period Aug 2024 – July 2025. Any queries or questions can be sent to sta-src@uwi.edu.
St. Augustine, Trinidad – September 15th, 2025 – The UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC) has recorded a recent period of unrest at the submarine volcano Kick ’em Jenny (KeJ), located off the coast of Grenada.
Between 18:00 local time on Wednesday 27th August and 08:00 local time on Thursday 28th August 2025, SRC’s monitoring network recorded an increase in seismic activity at the submarine volcano Kick ’em Jenny (KeJ). Approximately 800 events were detected during this initial period, with the largest ranging from M2.2 to 2.4.
On Friday 29th August, activity declined with 72 events being recorded in the magnitude range M1.4-1.8. Over the weekend, activity further reduced with 1-2 events recorded daily, indicating a return to background activity.
Throughout the episode of unrest, the SRC provided several advisories to the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) with updates on the ongoing activity. During the period of unrest, four media releases were disseminated by NaDMA and were subsequently shared on the UWI-SRC social media platforms. Questions from the public were answered and links to the KeJ main page and FAQ page were circulated to ensure the public had easy access to reliable information.
The most recent unrest, prior to this episode, occurred in February 2024, when over 3,400 seismic events were detected, with magnitudes up to 3.3. No explosion signals (T-phases) were observed. Another significant period of elevated seismicity occurred between 11 April and 5 June 2020, which also did not culminate in eruptive activity. The last confirmed eruption of KeJ was on 29 April 2017. Since then, short-lived unrest episodes have been recorded in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024 each beginning with intensifying seismicity and then rapidly decaying to quiescence.
It is considered that KeJ volcanic earthquakes are associated with magma intrusion, pressure changes from magma crystallisation or degassing, or a combination of these processes. The 2017 eruption demonstrated that KeJ is capable of erupting without significant precursory seismic activity. Alternatively, the volcano could continue to exhibit periodic seismic unrest with or without eruption.
KeJ remains at alert level Yellow at all times and a 1.5km exclusion zone must be observed by all marine vessels in the vicinity. The UWI-SRC continues to closely monitor Kick ’em Jenny and will issue timely advisories should activity change. Updates will be provided by NaDMA and the UWI-SRC via official channels. The public is reminded to seek and share information from these two verified sources.
SeaBeam image of Kick-’em-Jenny showing craters and domes. During a research cruise in March 2003 scientists discovered three craters (C1, C2 and Kick-’em-Jack) and two domes (D1 and D2) near Kick-’em-Jenny.
Keynote Presentation delivered by Dr Erouscilla Joseph on ‘Advancing Resilience and Sustainable Development in the Eastern Caribbean through Geohazards Monitoring and Community Preparedness’. Presented at the Soufrière Hills Volcano 30-years-on Conference Opening Ceremony. View here
Check out this short introduction to some of the consultancy services we offer at The UWI Seismic Research Centre. We specialize in structural monitoring, building site characterization and much more. Get in touch for your consultation today!
