Thread by @geolchat

Why do strong Earthquakes take place in Haiti? Does it have something to do with Plate Tectonics?
What are the factors that put Haiti at risk?
Learn more in this thread on today’s #GeoAgenda with our collab w/@Daniela_A_Gallo ! 1/n

A magnitude 7.2 (M 7.2) #earthquake struck #Haiti on August 14- west of the capital city, #PortAuPrince, and 50km west of the magnitude 7.0 devastating EQ that took place in 2010 which killed ~100,000 people and devastated the Island. 2/n

Both EQ;s were produced in the #EnriquilloPlantain fault zone, a complex boundary between two #tectonicplates. To the north there is another tectonic boundary, and this makes the Hispaniola island to be sandwiched in between a complex geological terrain 3/n

Can another Earthquake take place here or have taken place here in the past? YES! According to seismologists, the 2010 EQ released energy affecting the forces acting in this fault zone, and therefore the 2021 EQ can be related to this 4/n.

This fault zone extends through all the #Hispaniola island to the west of Jamaica. Nevertheless, these sites have different levels of risk. What makes Haiti to be at a high (er?) level of seismic risk? 5/n

#Risk has two different dimensions: #Hazard and #Vulnerability
This graph not only represents what risk is theoretically but also where it is found in space: a place where vulnerable people, objects or ecosystems are exposed to #hazardous conditions.6/n

Vulnerability is "the likelihood that assets will be damaged/destroyed/affected when exposed to a hazard". This dimension of vulnerability encompasses many issues: from gender and age to poverty, corruption, lack of strong institutions or a fragile economy. 7/n

Social vulnerability is one of the main reasons why two similar #seismic events will have different consequences among different population groups or between countries with higher or lower welfare. 8/n

#Risk is not only related to nature and the dynamics of our planet but is also socially constructed.

The #risk in Haiti is therefore not only associated with its location between plate boundaries, but also has to do with social aspects that make those who live there more vulnerable, such as poverty, inequality, lack of construction regulations, etc.