UF geophysics professor available for comment about Haiti earthquake

January 13, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti Tuesday would have caused far fewer deaths in California because of its stronger infrastructure, but there are similarities, a University of Florida geophysics professor said today.

Ray Russo, who has done research in the Caribbean, said Tuesday’s quake occurred on the well-known Enriquillo fault, which is a major fault in the plate boundary between the Caribbean plate and the North American plate, very much like the San Andreas fault between the North American and Pacific plates.

“The fault is shallow like the San Andreas. It’s near the surface, so the shaking is severe and the rolling surface waves really do damage,” Russo said. But a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in California would be considered moderate and might cause billions in damage but far fewer casualties because of better building structures, he said.

“Haiti is a very poor country with generally poorly built houses and infrastructure, which collapse more easily during major earthquakes,” he said. “The situation in Haiti is made even worse given the fact that the last major earthquake on this fault occurred in 1770, so the populace has no memory of any similar disasters and preparedness is generally very deficient.”

The Caribbean plate moves 2 centimeters a year eastwards relative to the North American plate, and eventually major faults in the plate boundary, like the Enriquillo fault, are going to rupture, he added.

Russo, who has his doctorate in seismology and geophysics from Northwestern University, has been an assistant professor of geophysics at UF since since 2004. He studies the flow of the Earth’s mantle and its relation to global surface tectonics.

Russo can be reached at 352-392-6766, rrusso@ufl.edu.