February 15, 2010 - 3:33am
Dr. Steven Earle, professor in the Earth Science Department at Vancouver Island University, will discuss the devastating earthquake in Haiti during a free public lecture Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Although not huge in magnitude, the Jan. 12 Haiti earthquake is evolving into one of the worst natural disasters of historical times.
Earle will provide an overview of the geology and plate tectonics of the Caribbean region, and Haiti in particular. He will also discuss the details of the quake and explain how the topography and geology of the Port au Prince area combined with local building construction exacerbated the damage and casualties.
“I get a lot of questions from people about why was there so much damage in the Haitian earthquake, why was there no tsunami, what is the likelihood this will happen again, and so I decided to give this lecture because people want to know,” Earle said.
“That region has not experienced a major earthquake since 1760. That means there is no memory of such an event, and the people were ill-prepared for what happened.”
“The quake, at 12 kilometres deep, was relatively shallow beneath the Earth’s surface, so the shockwaves did not have so far to travel. Most of Port au Prince lies on a flood plain underlain by sedimentary soils. Earthquake waves have a frequency of one to two seconds, which is very similar to that of sedimentary soil. The two frequencies became amplified,” Earle said.
Earle teaches Physical Geology, Sedimentary Geology, Hydrogeology, Environmental Geology and Climate Change, but he has been a student of earthquakes ever since moving to Vancouver Island in the early 1990s. In late February, he is leading a group of VIU students on a field trip to observe and study the San Andreas Fault around San Francisco and other parts of central California.
Meanwhile, VIU students and faculty have raised more than $5,300 to assist victims in Haiti since Jan. 19. The money was handed over to the Canadian Red Cross last Friday before the federal government’s deadline for matching funds. With the government’s contribution, more than $10,800 has been raised on the Nanaimo campus for the victims of the disaster in Haiti.
“Thank you to all who contributed and special thanks to the volunteers who put in so much time in organizing the various activities,” said Graham Pike, Dean of International Education at VIU.
“VIU’s response has been absolutely fantastic,” said Canadian Red Cross representative John Kraeker. “Haiti still needs help. The priorities are water, food, medical aid, and shelter. Beyond that, the infrastructure needs rebuilding with sanitation first on that list.”
To donate: www.redcross.ca Donations line 1-866-291-8979, or at the Nanaimo office, #3- 2525 McCullough Road, phone 250-756-9363.
Dr. Earle’s presentation is part of VIU’s weekly Science and Technology lecture series. His talk on the earthquake in Haiti will take place Wednesday, Feb. 17 in building 356 Room 109 from 7 to 8 pm on the Nanaimo campus of VIU.
For more information about the lecture series visit the web page at viu.ca/simmsw.
Tags: In the Community
