Earthquakes occur regularly in the Virgin Islands. The eastward shifting Caribbean plate grinds against the westward moving North American plate, just north of the Virgin Islands along the Puerto Rican Trench. Generally, the quakes are too small for people to notice, and they do not cause tsunamis.
Did You Know?
One of the smallest lizards on St. John is the Dwarf Gecko. This tiny, inch-long reptile is native to the island, while many of the other geckos arrived on sailing ships in the 17th century. Dwarf Geckos feed on insects in the forest during the day, while most other geckos are nocturnal feeders.