Geologists Warned of Haiti Earthquake

Devastating 7.0 quake brewing since 1760

(NEWSER) - The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday had been brewing along a fault line for hundreds of years, experts say. Geologists believe the tectonic plates beneath the Caribbean had been pushing against each other along the fault ever since a major quake in 1760, finally rumbling into cataclysm yesterday. The 7.0 magnitude quake that resulted is the largest ever recorded in the area, and the death toll in the tragedy is expected to reach thousands, reports the Miami Herald. More»

Questions answered, like why wasn't the Dominican Republic hit?

(NEWSER) - Confused about why the Haitian earthquake didn't also hit the Dominican Republic or cause a tsunami? Slate provides answers:

• Why so much destruction? Haiti has no national building codes, and though some follow best practices, inspection is almost nonexistent.
• Why wasn't the DR affected? It was, but most of the population of the Dominican Republic lives near the capital, Santo Domingo, more than 150 miles from the epicenter. Port-au-Prince was just 10 miles away.

Geologists keeping a worried eye on the Haiti-Dominican Republic hot zone

(NEWSER) - Haiti's devastating earthquake came as a shock to most non-geologists, but the Caribbean is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. The Caribbean plate is squeezed between two larger plates, the North American and South American, creating loaded fault lines. Haiti's quake was along the Enriquillo line—but the Septentrional fault that transverses the northern Dominican Republic is considered even more likely to experience a major quake. It's been building up fault pressure for 800 years. More»

Aid begins to arrive for estimated 3M without shelter, food, water

(NEWSER) - A Haitian Red Cross official estimated today that 45,000 to 50,000 people perished in the shattering earthquake Tuesday, as President Obama pledged US support of $100 million for what he said is likely to be one of the biggest relief efforts in history. Desperately needed aid began arriving from around the world this morning, the Washington Post reports. An Air China plane carrying a Chinese search-and-rescue team, medics, and tons of food and medicine landed at Port-au-Prince airport before dawn, along with three French planes with aid and a mobile hospital, officials said. A British relief team arrived in neighboring Dominican Republic, the AP reports. More»

Mission leader among missing workers feared dead

(NEWSER) - About 150 United Nations staffers, including the Haiti mission leader, are feared dead below the rubble of Port-au-Prince in what appears to be the UN's greatest-ever loss of life in a single incident. The deaths of 16 UN workers in Tuesday's massive earthquake have already been confirmed, and "It's clear a high number" of those still missing "might be dead," a top UN official told the Washington Post . More»