Two huge earthquakes have recently struck in both Haiti and Chile. Will there be more in the near future?
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M$4 Answers
The answer to both questions is maybe, but not likely. First, as others have mentioned, earthquakes occur when two or more tectonic plates collide and rub against each other. These plates fit together like a world-wide jigsaw puzzle, and move around due to convection currents in the molten portion of the earth (called the mantle) beneath the plates. Usually the movement is imperceptible, except when a lot of motion occurs in a short amount of time, resulting in an earthquake. The earthquake in Chile occurred from movement of the Nazca Plate against the South American Plate, and the earthquake in Haiti occurred from movement of the Caribbean Plate against the North American Plate. The plates in question, the Nazca and the Caribbean, don't share enough of a boundary for there to be much influence on adjacent plates. Also, the epicenters are about 4,000 miles apart. It would likely take a much larger quake for any adjacent effects to be caused along that distance.
Now for the second part. In looking at large magnitude quakes that have occurred in the last 100 years or so, they are not evenly spaced, but some scientists think that the most powerful quakes, like the one responsible for the 2004 tsunami, may contribute to a "global release of built-up tectonic stress". A near-future repercussion of the Chilean quake may be felt if a new fracture occurs in the Nazca Plate. This can happen months after the initial quake, but if it will happen in this case remains to be seen. So, again the answer is maybe, but not likely, because these recent quakes probably weren't large enough to trigger other events, except for associated aftershocks.
I have undergraduate and graduate degrees in geology.
There was also a good article on this topic in Slate recently:
http://www.slate.com/id/2246369/
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The US Geological Service (see link below) has a wealth of information about earthquakes around the world.
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The Cabala (Kabalah) predicts a big one a huge one in LA for 2010
I know it has no scientific nor reasonable origin but so far so good
I love to track earthquakes at www.iris.edu
See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6fUsH1Rwm4
Regards
Sergio
A magazine interview to Madonna in 2008
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As long as the tectonic plates both in the pacific ring of fire and in the Atlantic keeps moving thereby causing friction, there will always be an earthquake happening in the not too distant future.
The only sensible way to minimize earthquake fatalities and damage is just to be prepared always and implement strict building codes.
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