Puerto Rico earthquake 2020

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Puerto Rico earthquake 2020
Earthquake near Puerto Rico 2020 (Puerto Rico)
Bullseye1.svg
date January 7, 2020
Time 08:24:25 UTC
intensity VIII  on the MM scale
Magnitude 6.4  M W
depth 9 km
epicenter 17 ° 52 '8 "  N , 66 ° 49' 37"  W Coordinates: 17 ° 52 '8 "  N , 66 ° 49' 37"  W.
country Puerto Rico
dead 1
Injured 9


The earthquake near Puerto Rico occurred on January 7, 2020 at 4:24 a.m. local time about 20 kilometers southwest of the city of Ponce . In the quake with a moment magnitude of 6.4 M w , one person was killed and nine others were injured.

Tectonic background

Puerto Rico lies on the plate boundary between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate on the Puerto Rico Virgin Islands - microplate and thus, as it were, in the crumple zone between the two large tectonic plates. The North American Plate moves about 20 millimeters per year in a south-southwest direction against the Caribbean Plate and subducts north of Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rico Trench . South of Puerto Rico, the crust of the Caribbean plate is submerged in the Muertos Trench under the island. The observed data suggest that the January 2020 quakes represented tectonic events within the Caribbean plate.

Hundreds of pre- and aftershocks occurred, dozens of which could be felt in the country.

Quake

The main earthquake on January 7, 2020 was the strongest in a series of earthquakes on the south coast of Puerto Rico that had been active since December 28, 2019; it was preceded by more than 400 earthquakes with magnitudes ≥ 2.0. The strongest foreshock occurred on December 6, 2019 at 06:32 a.m. local time and had a magnitude of 5.8 m wp . Those foreshocks with magnitudes of 4.5 or higher are listed here:

Time (UTC) Magnitude depth Coordinates USGS entry 
December 28, 2019 10:35:37 PM 4.7 m l 06 km 17 ° 56 '13.2 "  N , 66 ° 51' 57.6"  W.
December 29, 2019 1:06 a.m. 5.0 m l 06 km 17 ° 53 '6 "  N , 66 ° 51' 50.4"  W.
December 29, 2019 1:21:14 AM 4.7 m l 03 km 17 ° 55 '51.6 "  N , 66 ° 50' 9.6"  W.
0January 2, 2020 8:42:02 PM 4.5 m l 07 km 17 ° 54 '54 "  N , 66 ° 49" 58.8 "  W.
0January 3, 2020 3:41:15 AM 4.7 m l 02 km 17 ° 54 '3.6 "  N , 66 ° 49" 33.6 "  W.
0January 6, 2020 10:32:18 AM 5.8 m wp 06 km 17 ° 52 '4.8 "  N , 66 ° 49" 8.4 "  W.
0January 6, 2020 2:51:17 PM 4.9 m l 06 km 17 ° 54 '28.8 "  N , 66 ° 47' 56.4"  W.
f1Georeferencing Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Main quake on January 7th

The hypocenter of the main quake was at a depth of 9 kilometers. The associated with the earthquake deformation process showed components of a strike-slip and a deportation . Using radar interferometry , it was found that the ground level west of Ponce had sunk permanently by up to 14 centimeters. The quake, which, according to eyewitness accounts, shook the earth for about 30 seconds, was felt by about 100,000 people with an intensity of VII on the Modified Mercalli Scale. More than two million people experienced the earthquake with intensity V or higher.

An originally issued tsunami warning was canceled and a small tsunami just a few centimeters high was observed.

It was the strongest earthquake on the island since the Puerto Rico earthquake in 1918 .

Aftershocks

Thousands of aftershocks occurred, several of them with magnitudes ≥ 5.0. Listed here are those with magnitude values ​​of 4.5 or higher:

Time (UTC) Magnitude depth Coordinates USGS entry 
0January 7, 2020 8:34:01 am 5.6 m ww 10 km 17 ° 53 '31.2 "  N , 66 ° 43' 19.2"  W.
0January 7, 2020 8:50:45 am 5.0 m ww 10 km 17 ° 56 ′ 31.2 "  N , 66 ° 40 ′ 30"  W.
0January 7, 2020 11:18:43 AM 5.6 m wp 09 km 18 ° 1 ′ 19.2 "  N , 66 ° 46 ′ 33.6"  W.
0January 7, 2020 4:27:07 PM 4.6 m l 08 kilometers 17 ° 57 ′ 54 "  N , 66 ° 49 ′ 33.6"  W.
0January 8, 2020 8:04:18 PM 4.7 m l 06 km 17 ° 54 '54 "  N , 66 ° 42' 14.4"  W.
January 10, 2020 10:26:25 PM 5.2 m l 09 km 17 ° 56 '6 "  N , 66 ° 52' 58.8"  W.
January 11, 2020 2:28:21 am 4.8 m l 04 km 17 ° 59 ′ 31.2 "  N , 66 ° 47 ′ 42"  W.
January 11, 2020 12:54:45 PM 5.9 m wp 05 km 17 ° 56 '56.4 "  N , 66 ° 51' 3.6"  W.
January 11, 2020 12:56:22 PM 5.2 m b 10 km 17 ° 49 '26.4 "  N , 66 ° 47' 38.4"  W.
January 11, 2020 11:49:40 PM 4.6 m l 08 kilometers 17 ° 56 ′ 31.2 "  N , 66 ° 50 ′ 24"  W.
January 12, 2020 7:59:56 AM 4.9 m l 08 kilometers 17 ° 57 '21.6 "  N , 66 ° 53' 13.2"  W.
January 12, 2020 10:55 a.m. 4.5 m l 07 km 17 ° 54 '10.8 "  N , 66 ° 52' 37.2"  W.
January 13, 2020 3:05:20 am 4.5 m l 09 km 17 ° 57 '50.4 "  N , 66 ° 48' 46.8"  W.
January 14, 2020 12:26:41 PM 4.6 m l 10 km 17 ° 51 '18 "  N , 66 ° 52' 8.4"  W.
January 15, 2020 3:36:23 PM 5.2 m wp 05 km 17 ° 54 '57.6 "  N , 67 ° 1' 1.2"  W.
January 20, 2020 5:26:19 am 4.5 m l 07 km 17 ° 58 ′ 37.2 "  N , 66 ° 44 ′ 27.6"  W.
January 20, 2020 9:36:36 AM 4.6 m l 07 km 17 ° 58 ′ 30 "  N , 66 ° 45 ′ 10.8"  W.
January 20, 2020 3:14:54 PM 4.5 m l 14 km 17 ° 57 '43.2 "  N , 66 ° 44' 34.8"  W.
January 25, 2020 8:00:47 am 4.5 m l 06 km 17 ° 55 ′ 30 ″  N , 66 ° 56 ′ 24 ″  W.
January 25, 2020 8:20:38 PM 5.0 m l 13 km 18 ° 0 '39.6 "  N , 66 ° 49' 8.4"  W.
0February 4, 2020 2:45:55 p.m. 5.0 m l 07 km 17 ° 50 ′ 20.4 "  N , 66 ° 52 ′ 30"  W.
0May 2, 2020 11:13:18 AM 5.4 m wp 09 km 17 ° 56 '13.2 "  N , 66 ° 43' 37.2"  W.
0May 2, 2020 11:19:28 AM 4.6 m l 07 km 17 ° 57 '3.6 "  N , 66 ° 41' 52.8"  W.
June 13, 2020 5:52:34 am 4.5 m l 09 km 17 ° 57 '36 "  N , 66 ° 56" 49.2 "  W.
June 28, 2020 6:42 a.m. 4.8 m l 11 km 17 ° 56 '24 "  N , 66 ° 56' 31.2"  W.
June 28, 2020 10:48:49 PM 4.5 m l 13 km 17 ° 56 ′ 38.4 "  N , 66 ° 57 ′ 0"  W.
0July 3, 2020 13:54:50 4.9 m wp 06 km 17 ° 56 ′ 38.4 "  N , 67 ° 0 ′ 14.4"  W.
0July 3, 2020 8:49:45 PM 5.3 m wp 03 km 17 ° 54 ′ 0 ″  N , 67 ° 0 ′ 18 ″  W.
0August 7, 2020 3:27 a.m. 4.8 m l 12 km 17 ° 59 ′ 42 "  N , 66 ° 45 ′ 39.6"  W.
f1Georeferencing Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Victims and damage

Damage to a house in Yauco

In Ponce, a man died when a wall collapsed. Nine other people were injured.

Numerous buildings and streets were damaged in the quake. Collapsed houses have been reported from Guánica and Guayanilla . According to the Puerto Rican government, 8,300 homes were damaged, 2,500 of them so bad that they were uninhabitable.

The Central Costa Sur power plant in Guayanilla, which has so far generated around a quarter of the island's electricity, has been badly damaged and will take at least a year to repair. Minor damage also occurred at the EcoEléctrica power plants in Peñuelas and Palo Seco in Toa Baja . There was a power cut across the island due to an automatic safety shutdown. On the morning of January 8th, 500,000 households had electricity again, on January 10th it was 80 percent of the 1.5 million electricity customers and on January 12th the whole island was again supplied with electricity. The drinking water supply failed in 300,000 households, a week after the quake there were still just over 15,000 households.

Almost 8,000 people were left homeless as a result of the quake. Tens of thousands spent the nights outdoors or in cars for fear of aftershocks. The numerous aftershocks and fear of another major quake create psychological stress in the population, which still had not overcome all the consequences of Hurricane Maria in 2017. A regional government crisis center received 29,000 calls in the first three weeks after the earthquake.

Governor Wanda Vázquez declared a state of emergency. This enabled the National Guard to be mobilized to support the emergency services. Vázquez urged citizens to inspect their houses and apartments and report any damage, as well as check on their neighbors.

The crash gate near Punta Ventana, which collapsed on January 6, 2020 (picture from 1999)

A strong quake on January 6th at 06:32 a.m. local time caused damage to several buildings, landslides and power outages. The touristically significant surf gate of Punta Ventana on Guayanilla Beach, which had already been damaged in other foreshocks, collapsed during this foreshock.

The strongest aftershock to date on January 11th resulted in further damage and renewed power outages. An aftershock on May 2nd also caused damage and power outages. The aftershocks on July 3 triggered landslides and an uninhabited house in Lajas that had already been damaged by previous quakes collapsed.

All schools in the country were closed for a long time to examine them for damage. School was initially scheduled to start on January 13th, the date was postponed to January 22nd, then to January 27th. In fact, on that date, classes only began in 177 of the 856 public schools, none of them in the south and south-west regions of the island. At least 50 schools have been declared unsafe and are not allowed to open at all. Classes were scheduled to begin on February 3rd in 51 schools. Schools had to be checked again due to the aftershocks. Around 240,000 students were unable to attend classes at the end of January. In February, other schools resumed operations, but the Ministry of Education announced that a quarter of the schools would remain closed for the remainder of the school year.

Three weeks after the main quake, 4,600 people were still housed in emergency shelters. Many of them did not report any damage to their homes, but stayed there for fear of aftershocks. The government planned to move people to their homes or permanent replacement housing by the end of March. Heavily damaged houses should be demolished. After six months, three families were still living in emergency shelters.

Help

Makeshift camp at Ponce

Governor Vázquez contacted the US civil protection agency FEMA . Several US Congressmen and senators appealed to President Donald Trump to support Puerto Rico. On January 7, Trump confirmed the state of emergency in Puerto Rico, which allows the federal government to support the U.S. government in maintaining public safety and provide funding.

As a result of the strong aftershock on January 11, the Puerto Rico government decided to classify the situation in the communities of Guánica, Guayanilla, Ponce, Peñuelas , Utuado and Yauco as a major disaster . With the approval of the White House on January 16, additional help and support from the federal authorities was made possible, including for individuals affected.

Through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) mutual assistance arrangement, Puerto Rico asked the states of New York and California for assistance. California dispatched 35 disaster specialists and New York 115 National Guard and relief supplies. In addition, the City of New York City sent 28 specialists to Puerto Rico. In February, the state of Louisiana dispatched 23 reconstruction specialists.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development on Jan. 15 released $ 8.2 billion in aid that Congress had approved for post-Hurricane Maria reconstruction but that the Trump cabinet had withheld for months. The Democrats had called the blockade illegal and urged Trump to release the funds.

Web links

Commons : 2020 Puerto Rico Earthquake  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

supporting documents

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  3. ↑ a b M 6.4 - 13km S of Indios, Puerto Rico. USGS , accessed May 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake in Puerto Rico. USGS, January 7, 2020, accessed January 7, 2020.
  5. ↑ M 4.7 - 11km SSE of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
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  19. ↑ M 5.6 - 8km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  20. ↑ M 4.6 - 6km SW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  21. ↑ M 4.7 - 7km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  22. ↑ M 5.2 - 5km SE of Maria Antonia, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  23. ↑ M 4.8 - 2km south of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  24. ↑ M 5.9 - 10km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  25. ↑ M 5.2 - 19km S of Indios, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  26. ↑ M 4.6 - 11km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  27. ↑ M 4.9 - 1km SW of Palomas, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  28. ↑ M 4.5 - 10km SSE of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  29. ↑ M 4.5 - 10km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  30. ↑ M 4.6 - 24km SSE of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  31. ↑ M 5.2 - 6km WSW of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  32. ↑ M 4.5 - 1km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  33. ↑ M 4.6 - 8km SSW of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  34. ↑ M 4.5 - 13km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  35. ↑ M 4.5 - 13km SSW of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  36. ↑ M 5.0 - 12km SSE of Indios, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  37. ↑ M 5.0 - 20km SSE of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  38. ↑ M 5.4 - 6km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  39. ↑ M 4.6 - 5km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed May 4, 2020.
  40. ↑ M 4.5 - 10km SSW of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed August 7, 2020.
  41. ↑ M 4.8 - 3km W of Fuig, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed August 7.
  42. ↑ M 4.5 - 9km S of Guanica, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed August 7, 2020.
  43. ↑ M 4.9 - 5 km SE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed August 7, 2020.
  44. ↑ M 5.3 - 9 km SSE of La Parguera, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed August 7, 2020.
  45. ↑ M 4.8 - 2 km SSE of Magas Arriba, Puerto Rico. USGS, accessed August 7, 2020.
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  52. ↑ Rafael Lama Bonilla: Se registra un apagón general en Puerto Rico y la central Costa Sur sufre daños. In: elnuevodia.com . January 7, 2020, accessed January 8, 2020 (Spanish).
  53. ↑ PREPA ALERT: Just as anticipated 80.78 percent of customers have electric service ... In: twitter.com . Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica, January 10, 2020, accessed on January 10, 2020.
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  62. ^ State of emergency after the earthquake in Puerto Rico. In: orf.at . January 7, 2020, accessed January 8, 2020.
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  64. ↑ Dánica Coto: Magnitude 5.9 shock rocks quake-stunned Puerto Rico. In: apnews.com . January 11, 2020, accessed on January 11, 2020.
  65. ↑ Nicole Acevedo: 5.4-magnitude earthquake hits near Puerto Rico. In: nbcnews.com . May 2, 2020, accessed on May 2, 2020.
  66. ↑ a b Dánica Coto: 2 tremors shake Puerto Rico, latest in series of quakes. In: apnews.com . July 4, 2020, accessed on July 4, 2020.
  67. ↑ Leysa Caro González: Sorprendidos en Guánica por el derrumbe de escuela intermedia. In: elnuevodia.com . January 7, 2020, accessed January 7, 2020 (Spanish).
  68. ↑ Robby Cortés: BREAKING: @EDUCACIONPR anuncia que las clases en el sistema público de enseñanza comenzarán el 22 de enero… In: twitter.com . January 10, 2020, accessed January 10, 2020 (Spanish).
  69. ↑ Dánica Coto: Puerto Rico opens only 20% of schools amid ongoing quakes. In: apnews.com . January 28, 2020, accessed on January 28, 2020.
  70. ↑ Keila López Alicea: Educación autoriza la apertura de 109 escuelas públicas adicionales. In: elnuevodia.com . February 6, 2020, accessed February 7, 2020 (Spanish).
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  72. ↑ a b Gerardo E. Alvarado León: Puerto Rican government will request a major disaster declaration. In: elnuevodia.com . January 11, 2020, accessed on January 12, 2020.
  73. ↑ Sharon Minelli Pérez: Governor Wanda Vázquez requested a Major Disaster Declaration. In: elnuevodia.com . January 16, 2020, accessed on January 16, 2020.
  74. ↑ President Donald J. Trump Approves Puerto Rico Disaster Declaration. In: whitehouse.gov . January 16, 2020, accessed on January 16, 2020.
  75. ↑ Ray Sanchez: NY governor visits Puerto Rico, authorizes deployment of 115 National Guard to island as temblors continue. In: cnn.com . January 14, 2020, accessed on January 15, 2020.
  76. ^ Louisiana Sends Resources to Assist Puerto Rico. In: louisiana.gov . February 5, 2020, accessed on February 7, 2020.
  77. ↑ Katy O'Donnel: Trump to lift hold on $ 8.2B in Puerto Rico disaster aid. In: politico.com . January 15, 2020, accessed on January 15, 2020.
  78. ↑ Brakkton Booker: Months After Blowing Deadline, Trump Administration Lifts Hold On Puerto Rico Aid. In: npr.org . January 15, 2020, accessed on January 16, 2020.