Updated 10/1/11
A 7.0 M Earthquake shook Haiti at 21:53 UTC (4:53 PM local time) Tuesday January 12, 2010. The epicenter was about 10 miles from the capital and major city, Port-au-Prince. Several large aftershocks occurred in the hours following the quake with a few continuing into the next couple of days. An additional aftershock a week later frightened the survivors and caused additional damage. The shallow focus (6.2 miles deep) and proximity to a large population center means that this quake affected as many as 3 million people who live in the area of strong shaking. As many as 310,000 people died, according to official sources,300,000 were injured and 1.3 million were left homeless. This quake is the second deadliest in recorded history. Many buildings, including a hospital, schools, the main prison, the cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the UN headquarters collapsed. Following the quake the streets of Port-au-Prince were lined with ruined buildings. The UN estimates that 75% of the city will have to be rebuilt. Most of the dead were buried in mass graves. For the first few days, bodies just piled up at the hospital and throughout the city.
Many government agencies were unable to function due to damage to their facilities and loss of their workers. The airport was back in operation soon, operated by the US, but the port sustained so much damage that it was impossible to unload large ships for over two weeks. The UN is now calling this quake the worst disaster it has dealt with because of the large amount of destruction and the inability of the government to respond. Most governmental functions are centralized in the capital city. Usually in a disaster the government can coordinate getting aid to the affected area. Here, the government was unable to do that because they were also affected by the quake. The UN estimates that it will take decades to rebuild.
Reports from the scene told of general devastation. Huge plumes of dust were hanging in the air. People wandered the streets, many of them bleeding looking for medical help but the hospitals were totally overwhelmed. Bodies were everywhere. There was no organized response. The government was been unable to provide much assistance. People did what they could but it wasn't enough. Aid shipments arrived at the airport but distribution systems were lacking to get food water and medical supplies where they were needed. The airport was quickly overloaded and some planes were diverted to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, 200 miles away. This has led to some international tensions, notably in the case of a Doctors without Borders field hospital from France, which was not allowed to land in Haiti. Many people did not receive any food, water or medical help for days after the quake, leaving them in desperate straits. People are living in the open or in huge tent cities. The Haitian government is encouraging people to leave the city and go back to their hometowns. As many as 500,000 have done that so far. They move in with friends or relatives but there is no work, inadequate housing and insufficient food.
People dug through the rubble with farm equipment, their bare hands and anything they can find to try to save people who have been trapped. After a couple of days, international rescue teams started to arrive and help in the effort. The rescue effort lasted 10 days, until January 22, when the focus shifted to an emphasis on humanitarian aid to the survivors. However, a few people were rescued in the following days.
An international conference is to be convened with the purpose of raising money for relief. US President Obama offered an immediate $100 million, with more to come later, and logistical support. Britain has promised $30 million, Sweden $67 million, France $28 million, South American governments $300 million and many more countries have contributed. The Canadian government is matching donations from Canadians, totaling over $67 million. Private donations amount to probably hundreds of millions of dollars as well, through high profile concerts and telethons and small scale efforts and individual donations to a wide variety of charities working in Haiti. Examples include businesses that donated all their proceeds for a day and stores that put out collection jars. The UN is coordinating aid, which is arriving from around the world. Turkey, which has suffered terrible earthquakes, was one of the many countries that sent rescue workers. There will be an international donors conference in March. Ordinary people from around the world have responded with millions of dollars in donations to a wide variety of aid organizations.
There is a growing international movement to help Haiti by forgiving its international debt. For the 200 years since the revolution that freed it from French colonialism, Haiti has been crippled in its development efforts by the need to repay large debts. First it was to repay France for slaves and other property freed during the revolution, later dictators "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier borrowed heavily to enrich themselves, leaving the country with the tab. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not only extended loans for development projects that benefited the foreign companies that built them more than the poor people in Haiti. In addition, they imposed requirements to open trade with no restrictions. Rice farmers, for instance, were unable to compete with the cheap foreign rice that flooded in. As a result, people left their farms and moved to the cities, hoping for any kind of work. Now that they have to return to the countryside, they have lost the ability to feed themselves and are still dependent on foreign food, now in the form of charity, and in very short supply.
The US sent 10,000 armed troops to help and has assumed responsibility for air traffic control into the Port-au-Prince airport and is helping with security. Although people are grateful for the help, the sight of American troops, especially at the Parliament building, has caused some unease. The US has a long history of military intervention in Haiti, including almost 20 years of military occupation in the first half of the 20th Century. Cuba already had 300 doctors working in Haiti, who immediately started helping helping the injured. Cuba sent hundreds more medical personnel, including Haitians who had been in medical school in Cuba, and committed to a long term presence. Aid teams have arrived from around the world. UN peacekeepers already in Haiti were stretched thin but soon they were helping clear roads so supplies could get through. The UN headquarters was destroyed and many of their troops, including the head of mission were killed.
This is the largest quake to hit Haiti in 200 years and it was centered in the most heavily populated part of the country. In the hardest hit areas, most multi-story buildings collapsed. Many children were still in schools that collapsed. Buildings are not built for earthquake safety, hurricanes are a bigger concern. Most buildings are built of bricks or cement blocks, unreinforced. The materials are often produced as cheaply as possible, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, resulting in even weaker buildings, as builders try to keep costs down. The government is very weak and could not enforce building codes even if they had them. Shanty towns where the poorest Haitians live suffered comparatively less damage since the shanties were built of more flexible makeshift materials that rode out the quake better. When they did collapse the lighter weight meant that they caused fewer injuries than heavy cement buildings.
In the aftermath of the quake, up to 3 million people lived in makeshift camps among the rubble of their former homes. Even after aid started to arrive, it was difficult to distribute it to the people who need it most. The country became dependent on outside charities for basic food and water supplies. Existing water supplies were damaged and unfit to drink. The UN is planning to set up tent cities using up to 20,000 large heavy duty tents during the next few months. There is a great concern that there is adequate shelter by the time the rainy season starts in the spring. They expect to be feeding 2-3 million people indefinitely. Medical supplies and personnel have been in short supply ever since the day of the quake. Many people had serious injuries that were not treated for many days. With so many crushing injuries and lack of medicine to prevent infections, over 2,000 amputations were necessary, many of them under primitive conditions. Some patients were transferred to the Dominican Republic but hospitals there also filled to capacity. Some of the worst cases were airlifted to the US, stressing the healthcare systems in Florida. The airlifts were discontinued for a time when concerns over who would pay for the care led to a lack of hospitals that would accept them. Authorities in neighboring countries are concerned about being overwhelmed by refugees and are trying to discourage an exodus by boat.
Update October 30, 2010 - A cholera epidemic has broken out in Haiti, a country that has previously not suffered from that disease. Cholera is of special concern because thousands are still living in shanty towns and refugee camps without adequate sanitation or clean drinking water. Cholera is spread when sewage contaminates food or water supplies. The initial cases were around the Artibonite river in Northwest Haiti but cases have been reported nearer to Port Au Prince, where most of the camps are located. So far, over 300 deaths and 4100 cases have been reported. Aid workers are concerned that the toll could go much higher if the epidemic reaches the capital. It is not clear how the epidemic began because cholera has been rare in Haiti. There was a fear that UN peacekeeping troops from Nepal had brought the disease because cholera is common in that country. However, the UN says that the peacekeepers use sealed septic systems that could not contaminate local water supplies. However, since the quake there have been many people from many parts of the world coming to Haiti to help out who could have unwittingly spread the disease. It is also possible that it has existed in rural areas undetected for many years. Although there have not been diagnosed cases, diarrhea is not uncommon in Haiti. There is always a concern after a disaster that people living in camps under stress with damaged or non-existent systems for sewage disposal and water treatment will suffer from epidemics. The good news is that there are already teams of health workers on the scene educating people about how to avoid the disease.
This earthquake was roughly the same strength as the 1989 San Francisco quake, which killed less than 100 people. The damage was tremendously greater in Haiti. There were two main differences. The San Francisco quake's epicenter was in the mountains some 70 miles from the biggest population center. In Santa Cruz, closer to the epicenter, many of the old buildings downtown collapsed. The other difference is that in California, builders must follow stringent building codes that greatly diminish earthquake damage. Older un-reinforced masonry buildings collapsed but flexible wooden structures rode it out and reinforced buildings had the strength to withstand the shaking.
This earthquake occurred in the boundary region between the Caribbean and North American Plates. The Caribbean Plate is moving eastward relative to the North American plate. The ground shifted as much as three feet in places as the accumulated strain was released. The Caribbean Plate is located in between the larger North American and south American Plates. These plates are being created at the mid-Atlantic ridge where magma rises and spreads out in both directions pushing westward past the Caribbean Plate. Although the region is subject to earthquakes periodically, there has not been a large quake in that area since the 19th Century.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.)(This article from the BBC explains how the quake occurred.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
* Haiti earthquake: Day by day (BBC 1/24/10)
* Haiti earthquake feared to have killed many (BBC 1/12/10)
* Haiti earthquake death toll 'may be 50,000'(BBC 1/15/10)
* Pictures of the immediate aftermath of the quake, Not for the squeamish (Radio Tele Ginen 1/12/10)
* In Pictures - Haiti Misery Goes On(BBC 1/16/10)
*Survivor's Stories(BBC 1/16/10)
* “The Sound of Screaming Is Constant”–Haiti Devastated by Massive Earthquake, Desperate Search for Survivors Continues(Democracy Now 1/14/10)
* Report from Haiti: Desperate Call for Aid with Rescue Equipment, Medicine, Food & Water in Short Supply(Democracy Now 1/14/10)
*
Cuba's aid ignored by the media? (Al Jazeera English 2/16/10)
* Haiti revival after quake could take generations says UN chief(Guardian 1/29/10)
* By foot and bus, Haitians return to native towns(AP 1/23/10)
* Health crisis in Haiti enters a deadly new phase(AP 2/9/10)
* Haiti devastation exposes shoddy construction(BBC 1/15/10)
* Logistical nightmare hampers Haiti aid effort(BBC 1/16/10)
* Frictions between nations rise over struggle of getting aid to Haiti(Washington Post 1/17/10)
* In Haiti, Desperation Mounts As Bottlenecks Slow Aid(NPR 1/17/10)
*
Rain brings more misery to Haiti earthquake survivors(The Guardian 2/19/10)
*
Haiti cholera outbreak causes not clear experts say(BBC 10/25/10)
*
Aid Agencies Fear Cholera Moves Toward Capital(BBC 10/27/10)
* US takes charge in Haiti — with troops, rescue aid(AP 1/15/10)
* As Haiti Toll Revised to 230,000, Journalist Reed Lindsay Reports on Scarcity of Aid in Devastated Port-au-Prince(Demoracy Now 2/10/10)
* Naomi Klein Issues Haiti Disaster Capitalism Alert: Stop Them Before They Shock Again(Democracy Now 1/14/10)
* Haiti, Forgive Us(Amy Goodman on Truthdig 2/9/10)
September 30, 2009 Padang, Sumatra Quake
Updated 10/17/2009
A 7.9 Magnitude quake shook southern Sumatra on September 30, 2009 at 10:16 GMT, 5:16 PM local time. The epicenter was 31 miles west of the city of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia. Padang is the capital of West Sumatra and has a population of 900,000. the quake was felt as far away as Singapore, 200 miles to the NE. 1,110 people have been reported dead, with 300 still unaccounted for. More than 2,000 are reported injured and over 100,000 building are reported destroyed, with another 100,000 damaged. Unoffical casualty reports have given a higher number of deaths, up to 4,000, but there is no indication how reliable that figure is. Early estimates of fatalities in Padang were reduced while the figures in outlying areas increased. Rescue efforts were hampered because many roads, bridges and telephone communications systems were damaged in the quake. Among the damaged buildings are schools, apartments, offices and hospitals. In places patients were treated in parking lots due to damage from the quake. Most of the casualties are the result of people caught in collapsing buildings.
While early rescue efforts concentrated on the city of Padang, outlying villages in the area were also badly damaged. Over 600 people are thought to be dead in this area. Many buildings in the Padang Pariman district were damaged when their metal roofs collapsed. The quake caused landslides that either undermined houses, sending them crashing down the hillside or buried them under tons of earth. A wedding celebration attended by 400 guests was buried by a massive landslide.
The international press gave this quake extensive coverage for a few days before moving on to other things, with few follow up stories.
The southern coast of Sumatra is prone to very large earthquakes. In this area, the Australian
Plate is subducting under the Sunda Plate to the northeast. As the plate is forced down under Sumatra into the Earth's mantle, it heats up releasing magma, which rises to form the island of Sumatra and the volcanoes which comprise it. There have been a series of megathrust quakes of over 8.0 M on different sections of the subduction zone. The 2004 tsunami was caused by a 9.0 megathrust quake at the northwestern end of Sumatra, about 500 miles from Padang. This earthquake was deeper, at 50 miles underground, than these quakes and the USGS says that it most likely occurred within the Australian plate below the plate boundary. At 7.6 M it was also not as strong than those others. This section of the fault has not had a large quake, over 8.0M, since 1797. The USGS says that it is not clear how this quake relates to the series of stronger, shallower quakes on sections of the fault zone on either side of this area. It is likely that this quake was not large enough to relieve the pressure that has been building up on this section of the subduction zone.
This quake is unrelated to the Somoan quake of the day before, which was centered 6,000 miles to the east in the Pacific Ocean.
A second large earthquake hit the following day 135 miles SE of Padang, closer to the city of Benkulu. This earthquake, with a Magnitude of 6.6, was strong enough to cause some damage, but there have been no reports of casualties. This quake was much shallower and was on the Sumatra fault in the overlying Sunda plate.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
*Indonesia quake deaths pass 1,000 (BBC 10/1/09)
* In Pictures: Indonesian rescue effort (BBC 10/2/09)
*Huge aid push in Indonesia, quake levels villages (Reuters (10/2/09)
*Padang lives with quake stress (BBC 10/1/09)
*Village deaths to lift Indonesia death toll (AP 10/3/09)
*Sumatra quake 'levelled villages'(BBC 10/3/09)
*West Sumatra loses entire hamlets under landslides (The Jakarta Post 10/3/09)
*Indonesian quake toll soars to 1,115(Brisbane Times 10/13/09)
*Diggers to help rebuild quake-hit Padang(Brisbane Times 10/17/09)
*USU to send team to overcome quake victims` trauma(Antara News 10/17/09)
A 7.9 Magnitude quake shook southern Sumatra on September 30, 2009 at 10:16 GMT, 5:16 PM local time. The epicenter was 31 miles west of the city of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia. Padang is the capital of West Sumatra and has a population of 900,000. the quake was felt as far away as Singapore, 200 miles to the NE. 1,110 people have been reported dead, with 300 still unaccounted for. More than 2,000 are reported injured and over 100,000 building are reported destroyed, with another 100,000 damaged. Unoffical casualty reports have given a higher number of deaths, up to 4,000, but there is no indication how reliable that figure is. Early estimates of fatalities in Padang were reduced while the figures in outlying areas increased. Rescue efforts were hampered because many roads, bridges and telephone communications systems were damaged in the quake. Among the damaged buildings are schools, apartments, offices and hospitals. In places patients were treated in parking lots due to damage from the quake. Most of the casualties are the result of people caught in collapsing buildings.
While early rescue efforts concentrated on the city of Padang, outlying villages in the area were also badly damaged. Over 600 people are thought to be dead in this area. Many buildings in the Padang Pariman district were damaged when their metal roofs collapsed. The quake caused landslides that either undermined houses, sending them crashing down the hillside or buried them under tons of earth. A wedding celebration attended by 400 guests was buried by a massive landslide.
The international press gave this quake extensive coverage for a few days before moving on to other things, with few follow up stories.
The southern coast of Sumatra is prone to very large earthquakes. In this area, the Australian
Plate is subducting under the Sunda Plate to the northeast. As the plate is forced down under Sumatra into the Earth's mantle, it heats up releasing magma, which rises to form the island of Sumatra and the volcanoes which comprise it. There have been a series of megathrust quakes of over 8.0 M on different sections of the subduction zone. The 2004 tsunami was caused by a 9.0 megathrust quake at the northwestern end of Sumatra, about 500 miles from Padang. This earthquake was deeper, at 50 miles underground, than these quakes and the USGS says that it most likely occurred within the Australian plate below the plate boundary. At 7.6 M it was also not as strong than those others. This section of the fault has not had a large quake, over 8.0M, since 1797. The USGS says that it is not clear how this quake relates to the series of stronger, shallower quakes on sections of the fault zone on either side of this area. It is likely that this quake was not large enough to relieve the pressure that has been building up on this section of the subduction zone.
This quake is unrelated to the Somoan quake of the day before, which was centered 6,000 miles to the east in the Pacific Ocean.
A second large earthquake hit the following day 135 miles SE of Padang, closer to the city of Benkulu. This earthquake, with a Magnitude of 6.6, was strong enough to cause some damage, but there have been no reports of casualties. This quake was much shallower and was on the Sumatra fault in the overlying Sunda plate.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
*Indonesia quake deaths pass 1,000 (BBC 10/1/09)
* In Pictures: Indonesian rescue effort (BBC 10/2/09)
*Huge aid push in Indonesia, quake levels villages (Reuters (10/2/09)
*Padang lives with quake stress (BBC 10/1/09)
*Village deaths to lift Indonesia death toll (AP 10/3/09)
*Sumatra quake 'levelled villages'(BBC 10/3/09)
*West Sumatra loses entire hamlets under landslides (The Jakarta Post 10/3/09)
*Indonesian quake toll soars to 1,115(Brisbane Times 10/13/09)
*Diggers to help rebuild quake-hit Padang(Brisbane Times 10/17/09)
*USU to send team to overcome quake victims` trauma(Antara News 10/17/09)
September 29, 2009 Somoa Quake and Tsunami
Updated 10/1/2009
The Samoa Islands were hit by a 7.9 M earthquake at 17:48 UTC (6:48 AM local time) on September 29, 2009. The epicenter was 139 miles SW of Pago Pago, American Somoa. The resulting tsunami caused considerable damage in both Somoa and in American Somoa. Over 150 people are estimated to have been killed as the coastal areas of all the Samoan islands were inundated. Casualties were reported from Somoa, American Somoa and Tonga. American Somoa is a US territory and has been declared a disaster area by President Obama.
Reports from the scene were that the quake was strong enough to rock buildings and cause rockslides in the mountains. It was distinguished more by its long duration of over a minute than by the strength of the shaking. This is indicative of a very strong quake that is distant enough to dilute its strength. Within 5 minutes the sea receded as the tsunami approached then swept ashore 10-15 feet deep. Boats were swept inland and cars were swept out to sea. Most people rushed to higher ground. A number of people were killed when they went down to the shore to gather stranded fish after the first wave receded, only to be caught by the second wave. Altogether there were 4 waves in the course of 20 minutes. There was extensive damage throughout the region. Although Somoa has a tsunami warning system, the tsunami hit too soon after the quake to allow the warning to take effect.
The earthquake occurred on the boundary between the Pacific and Australian Plates. The Pacific Plate subducts under the Australian Plate at the Tonga Trench. The epicenter was located near a bend in the plate boundary, at the northern end of the subduction zone. The magnitude has been reported as anywhere from 7.9 M to 8.3M. An earthquake of this size is catagorized as a "Great" earthquake and is capable of extensive damage. This is about the size of the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco. In this case the fact that the quake occurred at sea over 100 miles from any populated area greatly reduced the damage from the quake itself. However, an earthquake of this size underwater does have the potential to create a tsunami, as this one did. The tsunami can travel great distances and in this case, the tsunami appears to have caused the most damage.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
* Deadly Tsunami Strikes in Pacific (BBC 9/30/09)
*Somoa tsunami: survivors tell of giant walls of water (guardian.co.uk 10/1/09)
* Somoa tsunami lesson: Early warning system too slow (Christian Science Monitor 9/30/09)
The Samoa Islands were hit by a 7.9 M earthquake at 17:48 UTC (6:48 AM local time) on September 29, 2009. The epicenter was 139 miles SW of Pago Pago, American Somoa. The resulting tsunami caused considerable damage in both Somoa and in American Somoa. Over 150 people are estimated to have been killed as the coastal areas of all the Samoan islands were inundated. Casualties were reported from Somoa, American Somoa and Tonga. American Somoa is a US territory and has been declared a disaster area by President Obama.
Reports from the scene were that the quake was strong enough to rock buildings and cause rockslides in the mountains. It was distinguished more by its long duration of over a minute than by the strength of the shaking. This is indicative of a very strong quake that is distant enough to dilute its strength. Within 5 minutes the sea receded as the tsunami approached then swept ashore 10-15 feet deep. Boats were swept inland and cars were swept out to sea. Most people rushed to higher ground. A number of people were killed when they went down to the shore to gather stranded fish after the first wave receded, only to be caught by the second wave. Altogether there were 4 waves in the course of 20 minutes. There was extensive damage throughout the region. Although Somoa has a tsunami warning system, the tsunami hit too soon after the quake to allow the warning to take effect.
The earthquake occurred on the boundary between the Pacific and Australian Plates. The Pacific Plate subducts under the Australian Plate at the Tonga Trench. The epicenter was located near a bend in the plate boundary, at the northern end of the subduction zone. The magnitude has been reported as anywhere from 7.9 M to 8.3M. An earthquake of this size is catagorized as a "Great" earthquake and is capable of extensive damage. This is about the size of the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco. In this case the fact that the quake occurred at sea over 100 miles from any populated area greatly reduced the damage from the quake itself. However, an earthquake of this size underwater does have the potential to create a tsunami, as this one did. The tsunami can travel great distances and in this case, the tsunami appears to have caused the most damage.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
* Deadly Tsunami Strikes in Pacific (BBC 9/30/09)
*Somoa tsunami: survivors tell of giant walls of water (guardian.co.uk 10/1/09)
* Somoa tsunami lesson: Early warning system too slow (Christian Science Monitor 9/30/09)
April 6, 2009 L'Aquila, Italy Earthquake
Updated 4/7/2009
A 6.3 Magnitude earthquake hit L'Aquila, Italy, 55 miles north of Rome, at 01:32 GMT on April 6, 2009, 3:32 AM, local time, causing major damage and hundreds of deaths. Several aftershocks caused additional damage, including a 5.5 M quake on the 7th.
207 people have been confirmed dead, 1500 injured and over 17,000 homeless. L'Aquila is a city of 70,000. The original walled city was built in the 13th century. Although many older buildings collapsed, modern buildings were not spared. A hospital built as recently as 2000 partially collapsed, forcing patients out into the open and making it harder to treat them. Italy has building standards for earthquake resistant buildings but it is not always observed. Most of the casualties were caused by collapsed buildings as people slept. Heavy rains since the quake has hampered rescue efforts.
Survivors whose homes have been destroyed or are feared to be unsafe are sleeping in their cars, in hotels, or in tent cities that have been set up for the refugees. People have been digging in the rubble with their bare hands, as well as with heavier equipment. Some of the earliest stories were of people digging students out of a collapsed dormitory. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged help in rebuilding the city.
Tectonically, Italy is in the center of a number of forces any one of which can cause quakes. Italy is involved in a collision to the north with Europe that is raising the Alps. At the same time a mini-plate to the east, the Adria (under the Adriatic Sea) is subducting beneath Italy, while the Tyrrhenian basin to the west (under the Tyrrhean Sea between the Italian mainland and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia) is expanding. This quake, in the middle of Italy in the Apennine mountains is related mostly Tyrrhean expansion. This area has been the site of major earthquakes in the past. In 1997 a series of earthquakes killed 11 people and caused significant damage. In 1703 a large earthquake destroyed much of the city.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
* Strong Quake in Italy kills over 150, wounds 1500 (AP 4/6/09)
* Aftershocks hit Italy quake zone (BBC 4/7/09)
* Italy Earthquake deaths soar(BBC 4/7/09)
* Quake buildings 'below standard'(BBC 4/7/09)
* Did a Seismologist Accurately Forecast the L'Aquila Earthquake--Or Was It a Lucky Guess?(Scientific American 4/7/09)
A 6.3 Magnitude earthquake hit L'Aquila, Italy, 55 miles north of Rome, at 01:32 GMT on April 6, 2009, 3:32 AM, local time, causing major damage and hundreds of deaths. Several aftershocks caused additional damage, including a 5.5 M quake on the 7th.
207 people have been confirmed dead, 1500 injured and over 17,000 homeless. L'Aquila is a city of 70,000. The original walled city was built in the 13th century. Although many older buildings collapsed, modern buildings were not spared. A hospital built as recently as 2000 partially collapsed, forcing patients out into the open and making it harder to treat them. Italy has building standards for earthquake resistant buildings but it is not always observed. Most of the casualties were caused by collapsed buildings as people slept. Heavy rains since the quake has hampered rescue efforts.
Survivors whose homes have been destroyed or are feared to be unsafe are sleeping in their cars, in hotels, or in tent cities that have been set up for the refugees. People have been digging in the rubble with their bare hands, as well as with heavier equipment. Some of the earliest stories were of people digging students out of a collapsed dormitory. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged help in rebuilding the city.
Tectonically, Italy is in the center of a number of forces any one of which can cause quakes. Italy is involved in a collision to the north with Europe that is raising the Alps. At the same time a mini-plate to the east, the Adria (under the Adriatic Sea) is subducting beneath Italy, while the Tyrrhenian basin to the west (under the Tyrrhean Sea between the Italian mainland and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia) is expanding. This quake, in the middle of Italy in the Apennine mountains is related mostly Tyrrhean expansion. This area has been the site of major earthquakes in the past. In 1997 a series of earthquakes killed 11 people and caused significant damage. In 1703 a large earthquake destroyed much of the city.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake.
See also the following news stories:
* Strong Quake in Italy kills over 150, wounds 1500 (AP 4/6/09)
* Aftershocks hit Italy quake zone (BBC 4/7/09)
* Italy Earthquake deaths soar(BBC 4/7/09)
* Quake buildings 'below standard'(BBC 4/7/09)
* Did a Seismologist Accurately Forecast the L'Aquila Earthquake--Or Was It a Lucky Guess?(Scientific American 4/7/09)
10/29/2008 Pakistan Earthquake
Updated 10/30/2008
A 6.4 Magnitude earthquake hit near Ziarat, Pakistan at 23:10 GMT on September 28, 2008. 4:10 AM, September 29, local time. A 2nd quake, almost as strong followed about an hour later, and there have been several strong aftershocks. The epicenter was 400 Miles West of Islamabad, 35 miles NW of Quetta and 115 miles SE of Kandahar. Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, is a city with a population of 535,000 in western Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. There are also an estimated million Afghan refugees in the area.
The death toll is at 215, with up to 50,000 homeless. The government is using helicopters to reach the affected areas. Some villages were cut off by landslides and many houses have been destroyed. The quake occured in the predawn hours and victims were buried as they slept. There is a great need for shelter and supplies. People have been sitting outside and are hungry and cold. The Red Cross distributed 2,300 tents with many more needed. India, the US and the UN have all pledged aid. Help is also being provided by Islamic organizations in the area, including Jamat-ud-Dawa, which also helped in the aftermath of the Kashmir quake in 2005.
The quake is caused, in the broad scheme of things by the collision, on a continental scale, of India and Asia. India was a separate land mass that has during the last few million years, moved across the Indian Ocean and is currently slamming into southern Asia. The energy from that collision raised the Himalayas and radiates out from there, causing often destructive earthquakes. In 1935 an earthquake in the same general area killed 30.000 people.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake .
See also the following news stories:
A 6.4 Magnitude earthquake hit near Ziarat, Pakistan at 23:10 GMT on September 28, 2008. 4:10 AM, September 29, local time. A 2nd quake, almost as strong followed about an hour later, and there have been several strong aftershocks. The epicenter was 400 Miles West of Islamabad, 35 miles NW of Quetta and 115 miles SE of Kandahar. Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, is a city with a population of 535,000 in western Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. There are also an estimated million Afghan refugees in the area.
The death toll is at 215, with up to 50,000 homeless. The government is using helicopters to reach the affected areas. Some villages were cut off by landslides and many houses have been destroyed. The quake occured in the predawn hours and victims were buried as they slept. There is a great need for shelter and supplies. People have been sitting outside and are hungry and cold. The Red Cross distributed 2,300 tents with many more needed. India, the US and the UN have all pledged aid. Help is also being provided by Islamic organizations in the area, including Jamat-ud-Dawa, which also helped in the aftermath of the Kashmir quake in 2005.
The quake is caused, in the broad scheme of things by the collision, on a continental scale, of India and Asia. India was a separate land mass that has during the last few million years, moved across the Indian Ocean and is currently slamming into southern Asia. The energy from that collision raised the Himalayas and radiates out from there, causing often destructive earthquakes. In 1935 an earthquake in the same general area killed 30.000 people.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes. See the USGS summary of this quake .
See also the following news stories:
10/5/08 Kyrgystan Earthquake
The 6.6 Magnitude quake occurred at Sunday, October 05, 2008 at 15:52:49 UTC (9:52 PM local time)near the village of Nura, about 275 miles east of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the border with China. It was felt throughout the Central Asian region. 74 people were killed, 120 injured and dozens of buildings destroyed,, much of in Nura. The damage occurred on both sides of the Chinese-Kyrgystan border.
Geologically, the quake was caused by stresses in the Asian landmass resulting from the collision of India into Eurasia. India is actually a separate tectonic plate, whose head-on collision with Asia has raised the Himalayas and caused many destructive earthquakes. Although the collision is hundreds of miles south of this earthquake the crust is being deformed over a very large area, causing many earthquakes, including this year's China and Pakistan quakes. This is an unusual plate boundary in that two continental plates are hitting head-on. In other areas, one plate may be pushed under another, where they cause large subduction quakes, like the 2004 Sumatra quake that caused the destructive tsunami. Another possibility is that two plate may move sideways past each other, as happens at the San Andreas fault, causing quakes like the 1906 San Francisco quake
Geologically, the quake was caused by stresses in the Asian landmass resulting from the collision of India into Eurasia. India is actually a separate tectonic plate, whose head-on collision with Asia has raised the Himalayas and caused many destructive earthquakes. Although the collision is hundreds of miles south of this earthquake the crust is being deformed over a very large area, causing many earthquakes, including this year's China and Pakistan quakes. This is an unusual plate boundary in that two continental plates are hitting head-on. In other areas, one plate may be pushed under another, where they cause large subduction quakes, like the 2004 Sumatra quake that caused the destructive tsunami. Another possibility is that two plate may move sideways past each other, as happens at the San Andreas fault, causing quakes like the 1906 San Francisco quake
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes.
See the USGS summary of this quake .
See also the following news stories:
5/12/2008 China Earthquake
Updated 1/3/09
A 7.8 Magnitude earthquake hit Eastern Sichuan province in China at 06:28 GMT on May 12, 2008. 2:28 PM local time. The epicenter was 960 Miles SW of Bejing, 50 miles West of Chengdu, a city of 4 million. The nearest city is Dujiangyan, with 600,000 population, which is about 45 miles from the epicenter. Dujiangyan suffered major damage and at first is the center of the rescue efforts. 88,000 people died in the quake, including as many as 10,000 children killed when their schools collapsed. More than 5 million buildings are estimated to have collapsed.
Rescue teams had difficulty just reaching the epicenter in Wenchuan county. Landslides blocked the roads past Dujaingyan making access difficult. Fortunately the road from Dujiangyan to Chengdu was kept open for rescue vehicles. The quake was felt over a very wide area of China, as far away as Bejing.
During the first few days after the quake there were frequent aftershocks, including at least 6 over 5.5 Magnitude, strong enough to cause additional damage. Residents were afraid to go back inside, but the heavy rain made it difficult to stay outside. Government issued tents and tarps are helping a bit but many people spent days outside in the wet and cold. There are fears of illness developing from these conditions, especially among the old and young. Schools and hospitals were among the buildings destroyed, making it difficult to administer medical aid to survivors. Some schools collapsed while classes were in session, trapping students. The army has taken charge of the rescue efforts, with over 50,000 troops being deployed to the region. Heavy earthmoving equipment is being brought into the area and rescue teams are going to work in as organized a fashion as possible, Given the chaotic conditions. Traffic into the worst hit area is restricted to rescue efforts. Many residents have left the area and gone to Chengdu for shelter and services.
Another concern has been damage to dams. Soldiers were set to work trying to mend cracks to shore them up. 34 new lakes have also been formed as the result of landslides blocking rivers. These new lakes are even more unstable and there was some concern over the possibility that a dam could break in the continuing heavy rains, adding floods to the disaster. Luckily this did not happen.
The Chinese government has pledged $10 billion for earthquake relief. International aid is also flowing into the area. However the government warns that more is needed, especially tents, blankets, clothes, food and medical supplies. They estimate that 3.3 million tents are needed. 10 days after the quake 400,000 tents arrived in the region. 7 months later many are still living in temporary housing provided by the government. A group of parents are suing over alleged shoddy construction practices that they say contributed to the collapse of so many schools. This suit is the subject of a film, "Who Killed Our Children?" by Pan Jianlin, which was shown at the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea. The government offered compensation to parents who agreed to drop their demands for an investigation of school construction.
The quake is caused, in the broad scheme of things by the collision, on a continental scale, of India and Asia. India was a separate land mass that has during the last few million years, moved across the Indian Ocean and is currently slamming into southern Asia. The energy from that collision raised the Himalayas and radiates out from there, causing often destructive earthquakes. In 1933 an earthquake in the same general area killed 9300 people.
(See the Plate Tectonics page for more information on these processes.) The US Geological Survey (USGS) is an invaluable resource in understanding and tracking earthquakes.
US Geological Survey page on this earthquake
See also the following news stories:
- Winter and economy chilling China quake zone (Reuters 12/8/08)
- Dam may have caused deadly China earthquake(USA Today 1/29/09)
- UN head visits China quake zone (BBC 5/24/08)
- China reiterates urgent need for tents in quake-hit areas (Xinhua 5/22/08)
- Rescuers reach Chinese epicentre (BBC 5/13/08)
- Chaotic yet organised rescue effort(BBC 5/13/08)
- Chengdu witness: Fear of going home(BBC 5/13/08)
- In pictures: China's ruined valley(BBC 5/20/08)
- Parents of Schoolchildren Killed in China Quake Confirm Lawsuit (NY Times 12/22/08)
- China earthquake in video
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