Current Events #4

- In Studying Haiti, a New Angle on an Earthquake’s Intensity
- By: Henry Fountain
- October 18, 2010
-  http://www.nytimes.com/
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/science/19quake.html?ref=americas
- A new study shows that the geometry of local surface features helped to increase the intensity of the earthquake that struck Haiti.
- In January, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck Haiti. Factors that contributed to the destruction of Haiti as well as the loss of many lives was the bad construction of many of the buildings and the closeness of Haiti to a fault. Scientists have also known that the geology of the location can increase the severity of a earthquake. Scientists has found a new factor which could affect the severity of a earthquake. Susan E. Hough and her colleagues has found evidence that the narrow ridge where many buildings were destroyed amplified the shaking of the earthquake. This information can help to create accurate models of how the earthquake is amplified as stated by Dominic Assimaki from Georgia Tech. According to Dr.Hough scientists that is developing microzonation maps can use the information to draw down the topography seen near the ridge to help Haiti properly rebuild as well as to survive another earthquake.
- During my freshmen year I heard about the earthquake in Haiti. I learned about how devastating the earthquake was in my Global History class. But after a while people just stopped talking about it and I soon forgot about it too. Finding this article, I remember what a tragedy it was and i chose this article to learn more about what happen or how it happen.     
-In class I've been learning about the Latin American Revolution. In one of my homework I had to read some pages in the online textbook. As I was reading I learned about a the French colony, Saint Domingue. Saint Domingue was the first colony in Latin America to win its independence. Shortly after declaring its independence, Saint Domingue was renamed to Haiti. Reading from the textbook, I learned a little of the history of a country that has been destroyed by a earthquake.