Earthquakes in Chile and Haiti

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Earthquakes are rapid and intensive ground shaking that cause extensive destruction of property and the environment and harm to humans. Chile was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8, causing the destruction of bridges and buildings and prompting a tsunami. The Chile quake released more energy than the magnitude of 7.0 recorded in Haiti in January (NPR, 2010). However, Haiti, compared to Chile, suffered more deaths and property destruction. Despite a lower magnitude earthquake, Haiti had higher levels of devastation than Chile due to high shakes per second, population density, poorly enforced building codes, and lower underground depth.

First, earthquake in Haiti was more frequent compared to Chile. The number of shakes per second determines how the infrastructure will respond. The low-pitch earthquake in Chile allowed people a chance to evacuate compared to Haiti (NPR, 2010). Buildings, bridges, and schools are more vulnerable to high-frequency shakes, depending on construction qualities. According to the Week (2015), government response preparedness for extreme geophysical events in Chile is better than in Haiti due to economic factors. Additionally, Chile has better-enforced construction standards to prevent the collapse of infrastructure.

The depth of an earthquake and population density is also critical parameters that influence the level of damage by earthquakes. The earthquake that struck Chile was deeper beneath the earths surface than the one that hit Haiti hence the earth absorbed more impact. Moreover, the quake in Haiti raptured at the epicenter of the city with a high population density compared to Chile. The death toll of Chiles earthquake stands at 700 and more than over 2 000 people died in Haiti (The Week, 2015). Therefore despite a lower magnitude earthquake than Chile, Haiti suffered more damage due to the high frequency of the quake, poor construction standards, low depth of the earthquake beneath the surface, and higher population density.