Plate Tectonics in Haiti

Haiti is situated to the north of the Caribbean Plate, on a transform (slip/conservative) plate boundary with the North American Plate.

The North American Plate is slowly moving West creating friction with the Caribbean Plate, the shear stress pressure built between the plates every time it moves is released in earthquakes. The Caribbean Plate is also surrounded by Cocos Plate, Nazca Plate and the South American Plate. The Caribbean plate is being pushed Eastward while the South American Plate is being pushed beneath the Caribbean plate causing what is called subduction. Intense heat and pressure gradually force water containing magma up through the gaps of the subduction zone to rise into the Earths mantle fueling the many active volcanoes in the region. All of the pushing and pulling of the plates formed the distinctive arc shape of the Caribbean Islands in addition to forming a very intricate system of faults between the two plates in Northern South American. There are many hazards associated with the movement and seismicity on the Caribbean plate from seismic strain from movement of the surrounding plate boundaries resulting in massive spontaneous earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes.

Along the road near Beloc north of Jacmel. All road outcrops examined are incomplete, sheared, folded and faulted, which is particularly evident in these folds showing a prominent 10-15cm thick spherule layer

Plate Tectonics Timeline with Simi Kang

Timeline of Plate Tectonic Theory

1) What was believed BEFORE continental drift. 

-Find one theory from Pre-1910 that describes how humans explained such phenomena as earthquake, volcanoes, mountains, etc.

The Conflagration Theory : According to this theory, supported by the Vulcanists of the 1700s, the mountains and all land formations were formed by sudden shocks which came from the inside movement of the earth such as earthquakes and volcanoes. This theory was based on the thought that some geologic events happened over long periods of time by the hand of God and others quickly by the force of nature. 

2) The theory of Continental Drift

- Who came up with it?

- When did they come up with it?

- What did it state? What was the evidence?

- Was the theory accepted? Why or why not ?

The continental drift theory states that the relative positions of the continents on the Earth’s surface have changed considerably through geologic time. Although Abraham Ortelius first proposed this theory in 1956, Alfred Wegener put the first detailed theory of the continental drift forth in 1912. He believed that all of the continents were united into a vast supercontinent, which he called the Pangaea. Later, Pangaea broke into two supercontinental masses (north and south). The present continents began to split apart, drifting into their present positions. Wegener searched for evidence to further develop his theory and came across a paleontological paper suggesting that a land bridge had once connected Africa and Brazil. This was the attempt to explain the paleontological observation that the same fossilized plants and animals from the same period were found in South America and Africa. Another observation favoring the theory was the presence of evidence for continental glaciation in the Pennsylvanian period.  The theory of the continental drift was not generally accepted until the 1950s and 60s, when a group of British geophysicists reported on magnetic studied of rocks from many places and from each major division of geologic time. They found that for each continent, the magnetic pole had changed position, forming a smooth curve or pole path.

3) The Theory of Plate Tectonics

- Who came up with it? 

-Alfred Wegener came up with the theory of continental drift in 1912 which led to the debate which resulted 50 years later in the theory of plate tectonics

-Fred Vine, Drummond Matthews 1963

-Henry Hess's theory of "seafloor spreading" offered a compelling driving mechanism for Wegener's continental drift, but it needed more proof

- When did they come up with it? 

1960s

- What evidence did they use to support their theory? 

Evidence that led to the development of plate tectonic theory in the 1960s came primarily from new data from the sea floor, including topography and the magnetism of rocks. 

In 1963, Fred Vine and Drummond Matthews, two British geologists, joined the topographic map of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with the symmetric bands of magnetism on the seafloor . Where the navy ships mapped strong magnetism, rocks showed normal polarity; where they mapped bands of weak magnetism, the rocks showed reversed polarity. The bands not only paralleled the mid-ocean ridges, but were patterned symmetrically about the crest of those ridges

Be sure to include how plates move.

From seismic and other geophysical evidence and laboratory experiments, scientists generally agree with Harry Hess' theory that the plate-driving force is the slow movement of hot, softened mantle that lies below the rigid plates beneath the lithosphere

4) The theory of Hot Spots

- Who came up with the theory? 

In 1963, J. Tuzo Wilson, the Canadian geophysicist who discovered transform faults, came up with an ingenious idea that became known as the "hotspot" theory. Wilson noted that in certain locations around the world, such as Hawaii, volcanism has been active for very long periods of time

- When?

1963

- What evidence did they use to support their theory? 

Wilson hypothesized that the distinctive linear shape of the Hawaiian Island-Emperor Seamounts chain resulted from the Pacific Plate moving over a deep, stationary hotspot in the mantle, located beneath the present-day position of the Island of Hawaii. Heat from this hotspot produced a persistent source of magma by partly melting the overriding Pacific Plate. The magma, which is lighter than the surrounding solid rock, then rises through the mantle and crust to erupt onto the seafloor, forming an active seamount. Over time, countless eruptions cause the seamount to grow until it finally emerges above sea level to form an island volcano. Wilson suggested that continuing plate movement eventually carries the island beyond the hotspot, cutting it off from the magma source, and volcanism ceases. As one island volcano becomes extinct, another develops over the hotspot, and the cycle is repeated. This process of volcano growth and death, over many millions of years, has left a long trail of volcanic islands and seamounts across the Pacific Ocean floor.

- Is the theory accepted?

Yes, the theory was accepted.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture, also known as fish or shellfish farming is defined as the breeding, rearing and harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments including lakes, ponds, rivers and the ocean.
The social pros of aquaculture are that they contribute to feeding the growing population of the world, they can increase scientific knowledge and technology and it provides for the protein needs for third world countries. Some of the social cons are it can create conflict with other users of bodies of water such as lobster-men, fishermen or migrating fish as well as threaten the livelihood of fishermen.
The environmental pros are it may reduce fishing pressure on certain wild stocks if that species if that species can be produced through aquaculture rather than fished, it can reduce seafood trade deficit and can also place a better spotlight and awareness of protecting coastal waters from pollution, especially in the case of mollusk and seaweed culture. Meanwhile the environmental cons of aquaculture remain as having the possibility of putting pressure on wild stocks that are used to create high protein feed pellets, it can amplify and transfer disease and parasites to wild fish populations as well as affecting the aesthetic beauty of coastlines. Additional environmental cons are that it can compromise native gene pools if farmed fish and native species interbreed and it can pollute water systems with excess nutrients such as fish feed and wastes, chemicals and antibiotics.
Economic pros are that it can create jobs in communities, increase revenue on city, state and national levels and can encourage local investment. Economic cons are it can be an unpredictable enterprise for small local communities due to its susceptibility to severe weather, predators, disease and global competition and it can also cause other industries to become smaller therefore taking away various jobs.

  Aquaculture has many positive and negatives which can sway your point of view of it either way, however in my opinion from the knowledge I have gained, it does more harm than good. The reasons I feel this way are although economically it can create jobs for people and provides protein needs for third world countries which is very important it also does extensive irreparable damage to the environment and the existence of many species of fish. Although aquaculture is good and essential to some parts of the country, I believe that the human greed causing excessive fishing from other parts of the world such as the US and Canada is harming the heritage of many fish to the point where they may not exist in the very near future. However not only will the fish be extinct, the people that rely on the fish to survive may also go into famish and starvation and from there an abundant portion of the third world population will be lost due to starvation. Species of fish will be lost, lives will be lost, ecosystems will be jeopardized and environments will be severely harmed and polluted. In reflection to all these reasons I think aquaculture should continue, but it needs to be contained and standardized to where there is a limit to where fishermen may fish and how much fish they are allowed to catch.

Earthquake in Haiti

 A massive earthquake occurred in Haiti in 2010. The focus of the earthquake was 13 kilometers below the surface of the earth. The earthquake occurred at shallow depth - this means that the seismic waves have to travel a smaller distance through the earth to reach the surface to maintain more of its energy. It was a catastrophic magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale with an epicenter close to the town of Leogane, approximately 25 kilometers west of Port-au-prince.The earthquake struck in the most densely populated area of the country, in the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere.  Haiti is positioned to the North of the Caribbean plate, on a transform plate boundary with the North American Plate. The earthquake was caused due to the friction caused by the westward movement of the North American Plate that had been building up pressure between the two plates until an inevitable earthquake erupted, releasing the pressure and causing the earthquake in 2010. The damage caused by this earthquake was exacerbating as an estimated three million people were affected by this earthquake, with death toll estimates from 100,000 to about 160,000 people. Death tolls were even worse due to the poorly constructed buildings and infrastructure in Haiti contributing to the pre-existing poverty and poor housing conditions caused by a history of national debt, unfair trade policies by other countries, and foreign intervention into national affairs. The government of Haiti estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged and notable landmark buildings such as the Presidential Palace, the main jail and the National Assembly Building were significantly damaged or destroyed. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritization of flights further disrupted early relief work and resulted in absolute mayhem. Haitis' agriculture industry which is what they relied on mainly for food and money was absolutely compromised as crops were destroyed, animals were killed, setting the economy further back and Haiti into further debt and poverty.

Impact of Fishing

Part A.

 In the documentary "End of the Line" subjects such as consumers, fisherman,  governments and environments were depicted as being impacted by the reciprocation of over-fishing in various parts of the world. Fisherman in places such as Canada, East Africa and Eastern USA are all impacted negatively as over-fishing causes the extinction of many fish which leaves fisherman with nothing left to fish, causing their jobs to become more challenging or even possess the plausibility of losing their jobs entirely. The result of this terrible outcome could be detrimental to their livelihoods depending on where they live, whether they have the skill set to find another job or if there are even jobs available in other work areas with the same salary. Consumers are impacted the least negatively in my opinion as they have the least to lose. The only thing consumers are really losing is the choice of seafood as a meal option which could be an issue for people with intolerance's to other meat options but I'm sure it can be overcome, unlike restaurants however which have it a little worse especially if they specialize in seafood, which is a big industry, would cause them to go out of business and be at a huge financial loss. Governments may be impacted if they're economy relies greatly on the fishing industry such as second or third world countries that have many beaches, the effects of over-fishing could definitely put these countries into poverty as they lose their sole money making resource. Lastly the environment is what is most negatively impacted by over-fishing due to the fact that it drastically effects the process of ecosystems and the food chain which will cause a domino effect of malnourished or dying species which inevitably could wipe out all human kind.

Part B

A fishing industry is existent in Haiti however their economy is more reliant on agriculture and fishing holds a minimal influence towards Haiti's economy, although it will be growing in the future due to donated plants and expertise from other countries. Meanwhile in British Columbia, farmed salmon is BC's largest agricultural export product. BC's salmon industry has been impacted by over-fishing as user groups such as commercial and sport fishing industries come into conflict of who gets the best and biggest salmon causing an abundance of over-fishing and not enough salmon able to return to their natal streams to spawn the following generation and nourish coastal and freshwater ecosystems. Salmon species depletion effects the fundamental part of British Columbian's cultural identity and would diminish the prosperity of our economy's largest export product and a giant fragment of our provinces valuable staple and history.