More Powerful Aftershocks Startle Guatemala



2010 January, 18th
Phil Butler
Phil Butler
feature photo

Another in a series of earthquakes in the aftermath of the Haiti magnitude 7 event occurred off Guatemala today. Some news sources are reporting it as a magnitude 6.0 event, when the USGS classified the offshore quake as magnitude 5.8. Since the devastating event which rocked Haiti, the world has been keenly focused on these almost daily earthquakes. This one, and a lighter 3.8 magnitude one the Dominican Republic occurred less than two hours apart. Many others have occurred in the Haiti region over the last several days.

Breaking: In news just in, commanding General of U.S. aid forces in Haiti says he feels death toll may exceed 200,000.

Whether all these aftershocks are a cause for alarm is something our readers are asking every day. Aftershocks are very common, but from an amateur’s perspective the last several days seems unusual. Taking a look at the numbers and locations of events posted on the USGS website is not only fascinating, but a little like watching bullets whiz by. In the last 4 days there have been no less than 50 seismic events from Argentina to Puerto Rico. Most of South and Central America, including much of the Caribbean, has seen earthquake activity. Measured quakes from magnitude 2.5 to the latest 5.8 event in Guatemala are enough to alarm most people. The image below reveals a little about how earthquakes are affecting these areas.

The various tectonic plates and their movements against one another

No statement has so far been issued by the USGS or other officials with regard to these tremors. We have to let readers know though, and reiterate once again, aftershocks are very common and the way they occur depends largely on the area they occur in, the intensity of larger events, and many other factors. The video below briefly explains what is going on with plate tectonics and these seismic events along what is know as “the ring of fire.” Basically, the South American, Nazca, and Caribbean tectonic plates are interacting with one another – causing immense pressures of sometime unimaginable intensity. Watch the video and do your own homework on Google and at the USGS site and elsewhere.

We will keep you appraised as best we can.

About the Author

author photo

Phil Butler is editor-in-chief of Everything PR and senior partner at Pamil Visions PR. He’s a widely cited authority on beta startups, search engines and public relations issues, and he has covered tech news since 2004. Phil wrote in the past for ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, Profy, SitePoint, Search Engine Journal, AltSearchEngines. Follow Phil on Twitter or send him an email at phil [at] pamil-visions [dot] com.

See All Posts by This Author

Comments are closed.