NRCan Scientists Install Earthquake Monitoring System in Haiti

By Marisa Brennan
March 2010

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Though Haiti is still reeling from a devastating series of earthquakes, the nation is showing signs of short-term recovery. As immediate response teams start to withdraw, efforts to rebuild the affected areas are beginning — and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is helping.

In collaboration with the Haitian government and external agencies, NRCan’s Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) has sent a team to Port-au-Prince to install Haiti’s first seismic monitoring network. The network monitors and locates aftershock earthquakes — producing information critical to understanding seismic hazard in Haiti.

Consisting of three monitoring stations located in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and Léogâne, the network detects tremors along the Enriquillo-Plaintin Garden Fault, the fault that ruptured during the mainshock. Each station continuously broadcasts the data to NRCan headquarters in Ottawa via satellite. From there, the information is shared with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which helps to detect and accurately locate the earthquakes.

Why Study Seismic Hazards?

Chile’s recent 8.8 magnitude earthquake was much stronger than the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. Yet Chile has experienced fewer damages, thanks in part to strict building codes that were established after a massive 9.5 earthquake hit the country in 1960 — the largest quake of the twentieth century. That’s because Haiti had no building codes in place at the time, and most of its structures had not been designed to absorb the shocks.

As Haiti is located in a high-risk seismic zone, buildings need to be prepared to withstand the strongest potential earthquakes. “The project will start a collection of necessary information to produce robust seismic hazard maps for Haiti, which will give engineers the ability to design buildings that protect against earthquakes,” says Dr. David McCormack, Head of the Canadian Hazards Information Service (CHIS) of the Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) and leader of NRCan’s team in Haiti. The information gathered from the network will be incorporated into seismic hazard maps that can be used to develop building code standards.

The project will establish an accurate record of earthquakes in Haiti, which will help scientists identify future earthquake patterns. “We have limited information about seismicity in Haiti, because previous earthquakes were recorded from far distances and we couldn’t detect small tremors,” David explains. “The seismic monitoring network is critical to properly understanding seismic hazards, in particular for the capital, Port-au-Prince, which is Haiti’s most populated city.”

Building Earthquake Awareness

While in Haiti, the team shared their earthquake expertise in another way. They delivered several educational presentations to a few hundred Canadian and foreign aid workers, embassy staff and other interested people. The presentations focused on providing a general understanding about earthquakes and addressing questions and concerns. “The presentations helped to quell natural uncertainties after January twelfth. We received really positive feedback,” says David.

So, what’s next? David says that the project extends far past the installation in Haiti. The network will continue to broadcast seismic data autonomously, allowing NRCan and USGS earthquake scientists to closely monitor the region. He hopes that the three monitoring stations will be eventually replaced by a permanent network, run by the Haitian government.

For more information on the project and to see real-time seismographic monitoring in Haiti, visit the Earthquakes Canada Web site.