2003 Dominican Republic earthquake

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2003 Dominican Republic earthquake
Dominican Republic relief location map.jpg
Green pog.svg
Santo Domingo
Green pog.svg
Santiago
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UTC  time2003-09-22 04:45:36
ISC  event 7131995
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local dateSeptember 22, 2003
Local time00:45:37
Magnitude6.4 Mw [1]
Depth14 km (9 mi) [1]
Epicenter 19°43′N70°41′W / 19.72°N 70.69°W / 19.72; -70.69 [1]
Type Thrust [2]
Areas affected Dominican Republic
Max. intensity X (Extreme) [2]
Aftershocks5.6 Mw Sept 22 at 05:30 [3]
Casualties3 dead, dozens injured [4]

The 2003 Dominican Republic earthquake occurred on September 22 at 00:45:37 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme).

Contents

Earthquake

The shock occurred on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic near the town of Luperon, Puerto Plata and 40 miles (64 km) north of the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. This earthquake could also be felt in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and western Puerto Rico. [2] [5] Research indicated that it was one of a series of westward-propagating earthquakes along the boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. [6]

Damage and casualties

The tremor damaged many buildings across the city of Puerto Plata, the city closest to the epicenter, including two schools. There, a wall collapsed caused vehicular traffic and schools were damaged. In Santiago, several schools were damaged and the airport there was temporarily closed, but was made operational again afterwards. Two hospitals there were evacuated but there was no structural damage and the patients were able to go back indoors. In Nagua, schools were damaged in the form of cracks and walls and floors, and a roof of a local hospital collapsed. In the towns of San Cristobal and Cotui, light damage to schools was reported. It caused three fatalities, two of which suffered heart attacks. Dozens were also injured. [4]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 ISC (2015), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009), Version 2.0, International Seismological Centre
  2. 1 2 3 USGS. "M6.4 - Dominican Republic". United States Geological Survey.
  3. USGS (September 4, 2009), PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog, Version 2008_06.1, United States Geological Survey, archived from the original on 2020-03-13
  4. 1 2 "Dominican Republic: Earthquake - Information Bulletin n° 1". ReliefWeb . September 22, 2003. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  5. "Terremoto en República Dominicana - 2003-09-22". vozdeamerica.com (in Spanish). 22 September 2003. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  6. Dolan, J. F.; Bowman, D. D. (2004), "Tectonic and Seismologic Setting of the 22 September 2003, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Earthquake: Implications for Earthquake Hazard in Northern Hispaniola", Seismological Research Letters, Seismological Society of America, 75 (5): 587–597, doi:10.1785/gssrl.75.5.587

Sources