On October 6, 2018, at approximately 8:11 p.m, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 19 kilometers northwest of Port-de-Paix, Haiti.[2] The earthquake damaged structures and killed 18 people.[1]
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  | |
| UTC time | 2018-10-07 00:11:49 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 612859723 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | October 6, 2018 |
| Local time | 20:11:49 (UTC−05:00) |
| Magnitude | 5.9 Mww |
| Depth | 24.0 km (15 mi) |
| Epicenter | 20°02′28″N 72°58′30″W / 20.041°N 72.975°W |
| Areas affected | Haiti, Dominican Republic |
| Max. intensity | MMI VI (Strong) |
| Tsunami | No |
| Aftershocks | 2 |
| Casualties |
|
The earthquake was the strongest to hit Haiti since January 12, 2010,[3] not including the aftershocks of the 2010 earthquake, and the shaking was felt as far away as Port-au-Prince.[4]
Tectonic setting
editHaiti lies at the boundary between the Caribbean plate and North American plate. Movement across this boundary is partitioned across several major structures. The major left-lateral strike slip fault zones of the Septentrional-Oriente fault zone and the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone together accommodate the lateral component of this movement. North of Haiti, the overall deformation is transpressional in nature and an additional structure, the North Hispaniola Fault, a major thrust zone, takes up the component of convergence at a rate of 5 mm per year.[5]
Damage
editThe earthquake caused part of a school to collapse in Gros-Morne,[6] damaged the façade of the Paroisse St. Michel A De Plaisance church in Plaisance,[7] caused a cultural center to collapse in Gros-Morne,[8] damaged a holding cell at the Police Nationale d'Haiti Commissariat de Port-de-Paix in Port-de-Paix,[9] allowing several detainees to escape,[8] caused an auditorium to collapse in Gros-Morne,[4] damaged several classrooms at San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne,[6] and destroyed houses in the communes of Chansolme,[citation needed] Gros-Morne,[10] Plaisance,[7] and Port-de-Paix as well as on the island of Tortuga.[10]
Overall, a total of 2,102 houses were destroyed, and a further 15,932 were damaged.[1]
Casualties
editThe earthquake killed 18 people and 548 people were injured.[1] Nine of the deaths occurred in Port-de-Paix, seven in Gros-Morne and one in Saint-Louis du Nord.[11]
Response
editPresident Jovenel Moïse instructed residents to stay calm and stated that authorities would be responding to those who need help.[12]
Prime Minister Jean-Henry Céant said that a cabinet had been created to help organize the emergency response.[13]
The day after the earthquake, President Moïse visited Port-de-Paix de oversee the recovery efforts.[14]
Aftershocks
editThere have been two aftershocks since the initial earthquake struck. A magnitude 5.2 event occurred nearly 20 hours after the mainshock, with another magnitude 4.2 event happening about 5 hours later.[11]
In the first 8 months of 2018, there were 26 earthquakes between the magnitudes of 2.9 and 4.6 recorded.[8]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (October 20, 2018). "Haiti: 2018 earthquake Situation report No.4" (PDF). Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ "Earthquake Event Page". United States Geological Survey. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Evans, Natalie (October 7, 2018). "Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes Haiti causing injuries". Mirror. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b Mackie, Thomas (October 7, 2018). "Haiti earthquake: Port-au-Prince SHAKES as 5.8 magnitude quake rocks ring of fire island | World | News | Express.co.uk". Express. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Calais E.; Mazabraud Y.; de Lépinay B.M.; Mann P.; Mattioli G.; Jansma P. (2002). "Strain partitioning and fault slip rates in the northeastern Caribbean from GPS measurements". Geophysical Research Letters. 29 (18): 3–1–3–4. Bibcode:2002GeoRL..29.1856C. doi:10.1029/2002GL015397.
- ^ a b "Strong aftershock rattles north Haiti day after deadly quake". The Washington Post. October 7, 2018. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "Haiti earthquake: Magnitude 5.9 quake strikes near Port-de-Paix, causing injuries". The Financial Express. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c Charles, Jacqueline; Madan, Monique O. (October 6, 2018). "Deaths and injuries confirmed in Haiti earthquake". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ "Deaths confirmed in Haiti earthquake; no doctors at hospital | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "M5.9 quake shakes northern Haiti". The Washington Post. October 6, 2018. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ a b United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (October 9, 2018). "Haiti: 2018 earthquake Situation report No.3" (PDF). Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- ^ "At Least 11 Dead in Haiti Earthquake: Officials". NDTV. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Almasy, Steve; Cullinane, Susannah; Mazloumsaki, Sara; Silva Fernandez, Daniel (October 7, 2018). "Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hits northern Haiti". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Dominguez, Claudia; Yan, Holly (October 7, 2018). "Another deadly earthquake in Haiti kills at least 12 people". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
External links
edit- ReliefWeb's main page for this event.
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.