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Posts Tagged ‘new Haiti quake’

Another Strong Quake Strikes Haiti as Expected

Posted by feww on January 20, 2010

Earthquake Measuring Up to 6.4 Mw Strikes Offshore 60 km  WSW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti

The earthquake struck 9.9 km (6.2 miles), but was poorly constrained, USGS/EHP reported.

The event occurred about 880 km of  a strong quake that struck near the Grand Cayman earlier today.

On January 13 after the first powerful earthquake struck, FEWW said:

FEWW Forecast: Another Major Earthquake Could Strike the Region Soon with a Probability of 60% [P ≥ 0.55]

FEWW Moderators also forecast earlier to day as follows:

The Gonave Microplate, near the boundaries of which this earthquake occurred, could produce more seismicity in 2010, with possibly another powerful quake measuring 7.4 to 7.6Mw striking its southern boundary.  Kingston, Jamaica could experience a powerful quake with a probability of 65 percent.

10-degree Map Centered at 20°N,75°W


Earthquake Location map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FEWW.


Estimated Population Exposed to Earthquake Shaking. Click Image for USGS PDF file.

Earthquake Details

  • Magnitude: 6.1 [EQ magnitude estimated by FEWW: 6.4 Mw]
  • Date-Time:
    • Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 11:03:44 UTC
    • Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 06:03:44 AM at epicenter
  • Location: 18.428°N, 72.875°W
  • Depth: 9.9 km (6.2 miles) (poorly constrained)
  • Region: HAITI REGION
  • Distances:
    • 60 km (35 miles) WSW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
    • 95 km (60 miles) ENE of Les Cayes, Haiti
    • 160 km (100 miles) SSW of Cap-Haitien, Haiti
    • 1110 km (690 miles) SE of Miami, Florida
  • Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 6.5 km (4.0 miles); depth +/- 25.7 km (16.0 miles) –Possible error
  • Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
  • Event ID: us2010rsbb


USGS Shakemap. Click image to enlarge.


Seismic Hazard Map. Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green  (USGS). Click image to enlarge.

Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green. Location Map (USGS). Click image to enlarge.


Map of Haiti. USGS/EHP


Major Tectonic Boundaries: Subduction Zones -purple, Ridges -red and Transform Faults -green. Location Map (USGS). Click image to enlarge.

Tsunami Advisory:

The quake should have produced a small local tsunami. However, the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at Ewa Beach, Hawaii, at 11:11 UTC Wed Jan 20,  2010 said:

A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data. This earthquake is located too far inland to generate a tsunami in the Caribbean.

The coordinates provided by NWSPTWC were: 18.6 NORTH 72.9 WEST.  And the Quake Location Details according to USGS were: 18.428°N, 72.875°W
Both sets of coordinates place the quake epicenter offshore Haiti, according to Google Earth.


Google Map of the Quake Location places the epicenter of the earthquake offshore Haiti (Hispaniola Island). Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.

Related Links:

Posted in Cap-Haitien, earthquake, earthquake forecast, Gonave Microplate, Haiti earthquake, Les Cayes | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »