New study led by University of Miami to help scientists identify regions at high risk from earthquakes

A ground-breaking study led by University of Miami (UM) scientist Shimon Wdowinski shows that earthquakes, including the recent 2010 temblors in Haiti and Taiwan, may be triggered by tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons), according to a presentation of the findings at the 2011 AGU Fail Meeting in San Francisco.

"Very well rain events are the trigger," said Wdowinski, associate research professor of marine geology and geophysics at the UM Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. "The heavy rain induces thousands of landslides and severe erosion, which removes ground material from the Earth's surface, releasing the stress load and encouraging movement along faults.”Wdowinski and a colleague from Florida international university analyzed data from quakes magnitude- 6 and above in Taiwan and Haiti and found a strong temporal relationship between the two natural hazards, where large earthquakes occurred within four years after a very wet tropical cyclone season.

During the last 50 years, three very wet tropical cyclone events- Typhoons Morakot, herb and Flossie- were followed within four years by major earthquakes in Taiwan's mountainous regions. The 2009 Morakot typhoon was followed by an M-6.2 in 2009 and M-6.4 in 2010. The 1996 Typhoon Herb was followed by M-6.2 in 1998 and M-7.6 in 1999 and the 1969 Typhoon Flossie was followed by an M-6.2 in 1972. The 2010 M-7 earthquakes in Haiti occurred in the mountainous region one and a half years after two hurricanes and two tropical storms drenched the island nation within 25 days.