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Could the earthquake in Haiti have been a man-made disaster?

New research confirms that extreme weather and deforestation can cause earthquakes.

By Bryan NelsonWed, Dec 14 2011 at 12:29 AM EST
 16

Damage from the Haiti earthquake Photo: Marco Dormino/Wiki Commons
If you ever doubted that human action was capable of profoundly effecting the Earth's ecology, consider this: Scientists now believe that our mismanagement of the environment is quite literally causing the Earth to shake.
 
New research has confirmed a correlative link between the occurrence of major earthquake events, such as the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and rapid soil erosion caused by deforestation and man-made climate change, reports the Independent.
 
The idea that the weather plays a role in triggering earthquakes is highly controversial, and scientists have largely discounted previous attempts to establish a link between earthquakes and changes in atmospheric pressure, such as what happens during typhoons and hurricanes. But a new study, recently presented at the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, takes a different angle. It looks at how changes to the weight of soil bearing down on faultlines might serve to release geological stress.
 
"Very wet rain events are the trigger. The heavy rain induces thousands of landslides and severe erosion, which removes ground material from the Earth's surface, releasing the stress and encouraging movement along faults," said Shimon Wdowinski of the University of Miami in Florida.
 
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti serves as a particularly telling example, since Haiti sits right along the path of frequent hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea. The nation also suffers from extreme deforestation, which is also a leading cause of soil erosion.
 
"The 2010 earthquake in Haiti occurred... 18 months after the same area was hit by two tropical storms and two hurricanes," said Wdowinski.
 
Cyclones and monsoons in Southeast Asia could also be a trigger for the earthquakes that routinely happen there. For instance, Wdowinski found that the timing of earthquakes and cyclones in Taiwan over the past 60 years has demonstrated a statistical correlation.
 
The correlation is particularly apparent when larger earthquakes, such as those with a magnitude of 6 or higher, are tracked. Some of the worst storms to hit Taiwan in modern times, such as Typhoon Flossie in 1969, Typhoon Herb in 1996 and Typhoon Morakot in 2009, were each accented by major earthquakes in the following years.
 
"Statistical analysis showed that the timing of the earthquake is above the expected. It is way above background. If it was a random process and there was no relation between earthquakes and cyclones... there was less than 1 percent probability of this occurring," said Wdowinski.
 
Wdowinski's analysis isn't the only study to have shown a correlation between extreme weather and the frequency of major earthquakes. Summer monsoons in the Himalayas have also been linked to earthquakes, and a California Institute of Technology study found that earthquakes were more likely to happen during the dry winter months that follow monsoons.
 
Of course, none of these studies establish for certain that soil erosion is the direct cause of the earthquakes, but it's an intriguing theory that may finally help to explain the correlation that exists between earthquakes and extreme weather events.
 
These findings should also cause a shudder in our collective conscience. Since an uptick in extreme weather is one of the many unfortunate consequences of man-made climate change, we may want to reevaluate our role in disasters that were once believed to be entirely 'natural.'
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Related Topics: Climate Change, Deforestation, Earthquake News, Natural Disasters, Weather & Climate

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anonymous
Starbuck 12/15/2011 04:25 AM

Wdowinski's research does not appear to be concerned with what drives severe weather events, weather such as hurricanes, for instance. At least in the context of the theory presented here, he is not concerned with whose "fault" the weather is. Rather, he is looking at the possibility that severe weather events may have the effect of allowing earthquakes to happen as the earth surface load over faults is lessened. If this were to prove true, perhaps scientists could recognize, for.... More

anonymous
Erik Baard 12/15/2011 01:41 AM

I didn't get the impression that scientists interviewed, or the author of the article, were confused about the difference between causality and correlation. Rather, if a correlation is discovered, that's good cause to seek a possible causality. Imagine a person walking into a room with motion sensor lights who isn't familiar with the technology. The person would observe a correlation between the lights flicking on and his or her entry into the room. That would inspire an investigation into.... More

anonymous
Someguy 12/14/2011 22:27 PM

Don't you have to prove that the weather change is man-made prior to making an assumption that "man-made" climate change causes earth quakes. The climate changes found on Earth can be correlated to similar changes on other planets which have been linked to changes in the atmosphere on the surface of the sun.

This sounds like another science project where the cause and effect have been decided and any evidence that opposes this theory is cast out. In other words, just somebody looking to.... More

anonymous
Enter your name 12/14/2011 22:12 PM

Correlation does NOT equal causality!

anonymous
Sum Yung Gi 12/14/2011 21:20 PM

What a crock of piffle!

anonymous
Richard H 12/14/2011 20:02 PM

Always remember that lies progress in order of magnetudes from lies to damn lies to statistics. Statistical truth requires a fair amount of salt to be consumed.

anonymous
Enter your name 12/14/2011 16:22 PM

so what causes earthquakes deep in the ocean? waves created by giant manmade boats?

anonymous
jeff 12/14/2011 15:39 PM

LOL. a couple hundred yards of soil errodes and a PIECE OF THE EARTH the size of a CONTINENT moves?

anonymous
John 12/14/2011 15:37 PM

HAARP

anonymous
no way 12/14/2011 15:10 PM

OK, so the theory is that lots of rain caused soil erosion, which changed the mass distribution of the crust near the fault line, which somehow triggered the quake.

What is the total mass of soil moved during the erosion? How does this compare to the total mass of crust that stayed (under the soil that moved)? If the total mass of soil moved off of a given area is very small compared to the mass of the crust in the same area (and I bet it is, since the Earth's crust is ~30 km thick in.... More

anonymous
naj00 12/14/2011 14:04 PM

oh Fark me....This is ridiculous.

anonymous
Ron Mexico 12/14/2011 14:01 PM

Someone should tell these "scientists" that correlation does not equal causation.

anonymous
Jason 12/14/2011 07:52 AM

No that is stupid. It's HAARP in Alaska. China and Russia both have these already. HAARP is run by the US Air Force and does have that capability. So claimed it's NOT used for it though.

anonymous
Anonymous 12/14/2011 13:57 PM

Can I have a tinfoil hat too?

anonymous
Anonymous 12/14/2011 15:40 PM

Here is some reading material that might interest you:

Space Operations: Through The Looking Glass
(Global Area Strike System)
http://csat.au.af.mil/2025/volume3/vol3ch14.pdf
Weather as a Force Multiplier:
Owning the Weather in 2025
.... More

anonymous
Starbuck 12/15/2011 03:04 AM

Thank you for providing these links. Some hefty reading, but will investigate.

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