The University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre has confirmed that the coastal uplift that tore through the Galfa coastline in Cedros last week was a result of the two deadly twin earthquakes that rocked Venezuela’s northern coast.

The 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that ravaged the South American country have thus far racked up a death toll in excess of 2000, leaving thousands homeless and several more missing as rescue efforts continue. The hardest hit La Guaira State in Venezuela sits roughly 300 miles from Trinidad’s southwestern coastline. But last week, shortly after the quakes occurred, Cedros residents found the coastline dramatically shifted.

Geologist Xavier Moonan initially estimated that the coast had been lifted as much as 20 feet higher near instantaneously in the aftermath. The shifting occurred so rapidly that hundreds of sea creatures remained stranded, some trapped by boulders along the shore line. Rippling pools emitting what Moonan assessed to be a natural oil seep were also observed.