Knowra 2010 Haiti earthquake 2010 Haiti earthquake A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, killing more than 200,000 people and devastating the capital and surrounding areas.
Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone : A major strike-slip fault system spanning Jamaica and southern Hispaniola. The earthquake occurred near this fault system, where Caribbean and North American plate motions build strain.
Port-au-Prince : The capital and largest city of Haiti, located on the Gulf of Gonâve. The city lay close to the epicenter and suffered extensive building collapse and infrastructure failure.
Earthquake engineering : The design of structures and infrastructure to withstand earthquake shaking and ground deformation. Building performance during the disaster demonstrated the consequences of weak construction and limited enforcement.
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami : A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. Its much larger magnitude and tsunami-driven impacts contrast with Haiti’s shallow, urban, land-based catastrophe.
Earthquake early warning system : A system that detects an earthquake after rupture begins and rapidly broadcasts warnings before strong shaking arrives. Haiti’s experience raises questions about the feasibility and value of warnings where infrastructure and communication are limited.
Caribbean Plate : A tectonic plate underlying the Caribbean Sea and parts of Central America and the northern coast of South America. Its motion relative to the North American Plate drives tectonic deformation around Haiti.
Haitian National Palace : The former official residence of Haiti’s president in Port-au-Prince, destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Its collapse became a visible sign of the earthquake’s damage to national institutions.
Building code : A set of rules governing building design and construction to protect health and safety. The scale of structural failure renewed attention to codes, inspection, and construction practice in Haiti.
2010 Chile earthquake : A magnitude 8.8 megathrust earthquake that struck central Chile on February 27, 2010. Chile’s stronger earthquake caused fewer deaths, highlighting the role of construction and preparedness in disaster outcomes.
Disaster risk reduction : Policies and practices that reduce exposure and vulnerability to hazards before disasters occur. The scale of loss prompted scrutiny of how prevention could reduce future earthquake risk in Haiti.
Show all 25