Puerto Rico Research Paper
The island of Puerto Rico is situated along the boundary between two tectonic plates: the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate. This place is known as the deepest ocean trench in the Atlantic Ocean and is called the Puerto Rico Trench. The location of the island to the south of the fault zone causes frequent earthquakes and creates permanent tsunami threat for the coast.
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The greatest earthquake in its history the population of Puerto Rico experienced on the 11th of October of 1918. The island was struck by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake which besides produced a tsunami with six meters high run-up. On the whole 116 people were killed, including 40 victims of the tsunami and the damage estimated at four million dollars was caused. The epicenter of the earthquake, originated due to the motion of plates caused by the heat in the Earth’s mantle and planetary core, was in the Mona Canyon not far from the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico. The most powerful ground shaking was recorded in the northwestern and western part of the island, particularly in Aguadilla where the intensity was MM VIII-IX.
A number of witnesses in these areas reported having seen the surface wave sweeping away everything on its way. The tsunami which followed immediately was produced by the seafloor spreading, which occurred when new oceanic crust was formed. The highest waves could be observed in the north-west of Puerto Rico. They wiped out a village situated along the coast, carrying away lives of 32 people and were even able to move several limestone blocks weighing tons up to 75 meters from their original position. People observing the catastrophe reported that at first the sea withdrew, showing some reefs and even the seafloor. Then the water returned forming very high waves. At the city of Mayaguez the lower floors of waterfront buildings were flooded and some huts were destroyed. On Mona Island four meter high waves destroyed a pier.
During the disaster people could observe fountains of sands 3 – 3, 5 meters high as well as cracks in cane fields in the west of the island. It can be explained by the fact that all strong earthquakes can be characterized by liquefaction of water-saturated sands which turn into thick liquid, remaining solid no more.
The earthquake was then followed by several earthquakes of lesser magnitude. Such aftershocks usually accompany great earthquakes and are conditioned by the accommodation of crust to a new position. As a rule the intensity and frequency of these events gradually decline, but not evenly. On the 24th of October the earthquake was so powerful that ruined some more buildings. The aftershocks of the earthquake in Puerto Rico continued during the next nine month.
The region where Puerto Rico is located is still tectonically active. The recent studies of the sea floor have discovered an immense underwater landslip which could have caused a horrible tsunami, the effects of which on modern Puerto Rico would be ruinous. Scientists suspect that such a slide may occur any time in the future.
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