The Effect Of Plate Tectonics On Caribbean Region

Plate tectonics seeks to study the movement of the earth’s crust or lithosphere, to form new landform which we see on maps or even on the globe. Nagle (2000) posits that “plate tectonics is a set of theories that describes and explains the distribution of earthquakes, volcanoes, fold mountains and continental drift”. In essence, basic natural disasters and earth movements are due to plate tectonics.

The theory of plate tectonics states that the earth’s surface is made up of many pieces of lithosphere known as plates; these plates are made up of seven larger plates (North America, South America, Eurasia, Africa, Indo-Australian, Pacific and Antarctica), and other smaller plates, which in their movement or interaction, forms new landmass or landforms. These plates, according to Waugh (1990), are “rigid plates which float like rafts on the underlying semi-molten mantle (asthenosphere). The plates have moved many distances over millions of years, hence, the breaking up of the lithosphere is continuous. The plates move by currents known as convection currents (mantle convection), gravity and due to the Earth’s rotation. In terms of mantle convection, the currents or energy which is transmitted to the asthenosphere, pushes lithospheric material to the crust. For example, younger land which is pushed up through mid-ocean ridges, which causes the old land to move away from the newly formed ridge. As new land is formed, gravity helps to instigate the movement of the plates, and it also aids in the disintegration of older landforms, for example, as new material rises and spreads away from the ridges, gravity causes the old material to sink and aids in plate movement. Though Earth’s rotation is mentioned, it is minor compared to mantle convection and gravity. The theory also states that there are two types of plates, namely oceanic and continental. Continental crust which comprises of granitic material, is also called sial, because it consists of silica and aluminum, while Oceanic crust, which comprises mainly of basaltic rocks, is known as sima, as it consists of silica and magnesium.

As the tectonic plates move, interact, collide and pass each other, plate boundaries are formed. The three (3) types of plate boundaries are divergent, convergent and transform boundaries. Divergent boundary is created when two plates move away from each other, and new crust is formed. Convergent boundary, on the other hand, is created when the plates move past each other to create subduction; this is where the edge of one plate passes under the edge of another, thus creating a collision. With transform boundary however, the plates slide past each other horizontally, however, no new crust is formed.

There are numerous events that have occurred within the Caribbean region, which are associated with plate tectonics. One such event is the earthquake which occurred in Haiti on January 12, 2010. Nagle (2000), posits that “an earthquake is a movement or shaking of the ground”. It is important to note that this movement or shaking can be destructive, and can disturb normal activities, as well as ruin the land mass of the specific area where the disaster occurred. The earthquake occurred on the island of Hispaniola, which consists of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, however, Haiti was greatly affected by the disaster. As postulated by Pallardy (2017), in an online article entitled Haiti Earthquake of 2010, “the earthquake hit at 4:53PM, some miles (25km) southwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The initial shock registered a magnitude of 7. 0 and was soon followed by two aftershocks of magnitudes 5. 9 and 5. 5”. In essence, the island experienced a destructive hit by the quake. Some geologists stated that the earthquake was as a result of the movement of the Caribbean tectonic plate “eastward along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Strike slip fault system”, as stated by Pallardy (2017) in the same said article. However, there was no deformation, the earthquake was caused by a fault which runs through the island, and located along the boundary between the Caribbean and the North American plates.

There were many cataclysmic effects of the earthquake. One such effect was that many individuals were killed, due to the collapsing of buildings; some were trapped, and others were killed. The Cathedral, United Nations headquarters and the Parliamentary buildings in Port-au-Prince, were significantly destroyed. As posited by the Disaster Emergency Committee (2018), about 220, 000 people estimated to have died and 300,000 persons were injured. Over 188,383 houses were damaged, and 105, 000 destroyed. In total, approximately 1. 5 million individuals became homeless. Approximately 4000 schools were damaged and destroyed; 25% of civil servants in Port-au-Prince died. In addition to all this devastation, there was an outbreak of cholera in October. By July 2011, about 5,899 individuals died; because of the outbreak 216 000 persons were infected. Also, many government and administrative buildings were gravely destroyed and damaged.

Essentially, the country’s economic output and gain would’ve been significantly affected; being the poorest country in the Caribbean, the 2010 earthquake would result in more economic strain on the country. As stated by Amadeo (2017), “the earthquake created between 7. 8 billion to 8. 5 billion in damage. The GDP fell to 5. 1%”. The country’s main airport was also damaged, and even the paved roads were damaged. The earthquake hit the country just when its economy was beginning to improve. This has resulted in an increase in the unemployment rate, as the agricultural sector has also been disrupted, resulting in an economic strain on the country itself; this has resulted in inflation and an increase in the poverty rate which has also lead to an increased cost of living.