Earthquake hits Haiti again, magnitude 6.0 causes panic

There is panic in the streets again in Haiti after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit early Wednesday morning, January 20. The earthquake shook buildings and sent people into the street fearing even more devastation. According to the the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake happened at approximately 6am Wednesday morning, about 35 miles northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince. It was inland far enough not to cause tidal waves.

Just a week ago, on January 12, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti so violently that there is major destruction in Haiti. The death toll from last week's earthquake is still not confirmed, with some speculating 200,000 dead and thousands still missing.

Wednesday morning's earth quake just outside of Port-au-Prince is causing understandable worry. The quake struck at a depth of 13.7 miles. According to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the U.S. military announced shortly before this latest 6.0 earthquake that is sending additional ships to help with earthquake recovery in Haiti, including one that could remove debris blocking the main port.

Today's earthquake measured 6.0 on the Richter Scale. It is likely that it did not cause the type of damage that the 7.3 quake did a week ago, but a 6.0 earthquake can still cause damage, aside from the panic the people of Haiti must be experiencing.

An earthquake under 6.0 will cause,t most slight damage to well-designed buildings. It can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions.

An earthquake between 6.1-6.9 on the Richter Scale can be destructive in large areas.

There is no report as to the extent of damage that Wednesday morning's earthquake in Haiti has caused. It may be very hard to tell with all of the destruction from last week's quake.

Written by Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com

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