Scientists: Newly found fault caused Haiti quake
The devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti in January was unleashed by a previously undetected fault line — not the well-known one scientists initially blamed, according to an analysis of new data.
He said the analysis shows that most, if not all, of the geologic movement that caused January's magnitude-7.0 earthquake occurred along the newly uncovered fault, not the well-documented Enriquillo fault.
Calais, who presented the findings this week at a scientific conference in Brazil, said they suggest Haiti's seismic zone is far more complex than scientists had anticipated. But the new fault's profile, including the possibility that it merges with the Enriquillo fault at some depth, won't be known until scientists intensively study the region.
Ross Stein, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., said Calais' findings were fascinating and raise many questions about the complexity of Haiti's faults and what actually occurred during January's quake. But he said the discovery is not surprising, given the many unknowns about earthquakes.
The new findings are based on surface observations in the devastated region around Port-au-Prince, global positioning system measurements and other observations and data. Calais presented the research Tuesday at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.
He said the analysis shows that most, if not all, of the geologic movement that caused January's magnitude-7.0 earthquake occurred along the newly uncovered fault, not the well-documented Enriquillo fault.
Calais, who presented the findings this week at a scientific conference in Brazil, said they suggest Haiti's seismic zone is far more complex than scientists had anticipated. But the new fault's profile, including the possibility that it merges with the Enriquillo fault at some depth, won't be known until scientists intensively study the region.
Ross Stein, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., said Calais' findings were fascinating and raise many questions about the complexity of Haiti's faults and what actually occurred during January's quake. But he said the discovery is not surprising, given the many unknowns about earthquakes.
The new findings are based on surface observations in the devastated region around Port-au-Prince, global positioning system measurements and other observations and data. Calais presented the research Tuesday at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.
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