Difference beetween the two Quakes

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Many reporters and ill informed individuals are comparing the two quakes in a very disturbing and bias way, to further put us down. W e must give a high five to the Chilean governmemt for having in place a disater emergency preparadness program to save their citizens.

However, We cannot compare an apple to an orange! You really have to look at the nature of these two events.

Of course, the earthquake that hit Chile is a huge one. If it happened under the same natural condition like the January 12 quakes that kills so many in Haiti, it would kill more people in Chile you could imagine.

The 7.0 magnitude quake's epicenter that destroyed Port -Au-Prince was just 15 miles west of the Haitian capital, with a depth of 8.1 mile, (earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinth...
It happened in land! it was a "shallow" earthquake, the kind that causes tremendous damages due to its proximity to the surface; the most violent shaking happened in an overpopulated area, according to a CNN geologist commentator today!
Chile Earthquake has its epicenter offshore, in the sea, 200 miles SW of Santiago, the Capital.

It was 22 miles, about 35 km, underneath the sea floor! The farther down an earthquake occurs, the less damage it does on the surface, Haiti is on a lateral fault, Chile is miles away near a "thrust fault", The fault line is at the surface about 80 miles offshore.

It then dives down under the continent, and is about 80 miles down by the time it runs underneath the Chilean capital of Santiago.

(miamiherald.com/2010/02/27/1503618...
The "most violent shaking occurred in desolated areas", according to the above CNN expert!
If Chile's earthquake happened 15 miles of Santiago, the capital, and had a depth of just 8.1 mile, you would probably have more damages and casualties! What would happen if Haiti's earthquake happened 200 miles away and 22 miles under the sea floor?

Chile has more experience dealing with earthquakes.

The last earthquake that struck Port au Prince was around 1770, the last one that hit Haiti was in 1842, this earthquake destroyed Cap Haitien and many other towns, with a recorded 10,000 deaths.

The ruins of the Sans-Souci palace in Milot are a reminder of this catastrophic event!

Thus, the chilean people and their leaders have the resources, the expertise, and the experience to deal with such a disaster!
Chile is a wealthy, politically stable country, with a per capita income of $9,400, and vast natural resources; it is nearly 28 times the size of Haiti.

Can you really make a comparison?

Ti Malice, February 27 2010, 2:40 PM

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