Chile: 8.8
Haiti: 7.0
The Chilean Earthquake was 501 times more powerful that the Haitian Earthquake. There was more movement of the Earth in the Chilean Earthquake but it was further underground so the effects didn't appear to be as bad. We heard about the Haitian Earthquake more because it was closer to the surface of the Earth and more devastating to the people in Haiti.
According to NASA, the Chilean Earthquake may have shortened the day and shifted the earth's position on its axis.
The destruction in Haiti was caused by the local building codes there which allowed lots of concrete & with very little structural steel.
ReplyDeleteIn stark contrast, Chile had experienced a devastating earthquake in 1960 called the Valdivia earthquake. Registering 9.5, it was the world's greatest earthquake ever recorded. Local building codes were changed to require more steel in high rise buildings & stronger structural construction in homes.
Chileans were prepared while Haitians were not. Even though the Haiti government had been warned over a year earlier by researchers like Dr. Eric Calais, geophysicist at Purdue University, to prepare for an impending earthquake.