Offshore sedimentary effects of the 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake

Research Article| August 01, 2011 Offshore sedimentary effects of the 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake Cecilia M. McHugh; Cecilia M. McHugh 1Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Leonardo Seeber; Leonardo Seeber 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nicole Braudy; Nicole Braudy 1Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marie-Helene Cormier; Marie-Helene Cormier 3University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marcy B. Davis; Marcy B. Davis 4University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John B. Diebold; John B. Diebold 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Nicole Dieudonne; Nicole Dieudonne 5Bureau of Mines and Energy, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Roby Douilly; Roby Douilly 6Universite d'Etat de Haiti, Haiti Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Sean P.S. Gulick; Sean P.S. Gulick 4University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Matthew J. Hornbach; Matthew J. Hornbach 4University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Harold E. Johnson, III; Harold E. Johnson, III 3University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Katherine Ryan Mishkin; Katherine Ryan Mishkin 1Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christopher C. Sorlien; Christopher C. Sorlien 7University of California−Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael S. Steckler; Michael S. Steckler 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Steeve J. Symithe; Steeve J. Symithe 6Universite d'Etat de Haiti, Haiti Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John Templeton John Templeton 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Cecilia M. McHugh 1Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Leonardo Seeber 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Nicole Braudy 1Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA Marie-Helene Cormier 3University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA Marcy B. Davis 4University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA John B. Diebold 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Nicole Dieudonne 5Bureau of Mines and Energy, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Roby Douilly 6Universite d'Etat de Haiti, Haiti Sean P.S. Gulick 4University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Matthew J. Hornbach 4University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Harold E. Johnson, III 3University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA Katherine Ryan Mishkin 1Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA Christopher C. Sorlien 7University of California−Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA Michael S. Steckler 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Steeve J. Symithe 6Universite d'Etat de Haiti, Haiti John Templeton 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 12 Oct 2010 Revision Received: 17 Feb 2011 Accepted: 09 Mar 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (8): 723–726. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31815.1 Article history Received: 12 Oct 2010 Revision Received: 17 Feb 2011 Accepted: 09 Mar 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Cecilia M. McHugh, Leonardo Seeber, Nicole Braudy, Marie-Helene Cormier, Marcy B. Davis, John B. Diebold, Nicole Dieudonne, Roby Douilly, Sean P.S. Gulick, Matthew J. Hornbach, Harold E. Johnson, Katherine Ryan Mishkin, Christopher C. Sorlien, Michael S. Steckler, Steeve J. Symithe, John Templeton; Offshore sedimentary effects of the 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake. Geology 2011;; 39 (8): 723–726. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31815.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Although the 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake was one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, it left no clear geological evidence of rupture on land. As a tectonic event, the earthquake was complex; even the faults involved remain unclear. Using geophysical and coring data, we document direct evidence of the sedimentation generated by the catastrophic 12 January 2010 earthquake offshore. These studies document submarine paleoseismology methods that can be used for assessing seismic risk in this and other tectonic settings such as the California San Andreas fault, where deeper buried blind thrusts may exist. Shaking by the 12 January main shock triggered sediment failures and turbidity currents from coastal sources to deep-water sinks. An ∼0.05 km3 turbidite was deposited in the Canal du Sud basin (1750 m water depth) over 50 km2. Almost 2 months after the main shock, a 600-m-thick sediment plume was still present in the lowermost water column at this location. The turbidite was time correlated to the 12 January earthquake by the excess 234Th in the sediments. With a half-life of 24 days, its presence documents an influx of terrigenous sediment mixing with marine sources derived from the basin slopes. This turbidite, and older ones observed beneath it, displays complex cross-bedded and fining-upward stratigraphy indicative of long waves and seiche oscillations that are consistent with locally reported tsunamis. This 12 January sedimentary record highlights the potential for submarine paleoseismology to unravel the seismic history of continental transform boundaries such as the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica, as well as other tectonic settings where no clear land-based evidence for a rupture exists. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.