Since time immemorial, Septentrional-Oriente fault zone has been the subject of fascination, study and debate. Its impact has transcended all cultural, geographical and temporal barriers, leaving an indelible mark on the history of humanity. From the remotest reaches of the past to the most immediate present, Septentrional-Oriente fault zone has been an object of adoration, analysis, and contemplation. In this article, we will explore in depth the many facets of Septentrional-Oriente fault zone, unraveling its meaning, its influence and its relevance in today's world. Throughout the pages that follow, we will embark on a fascinating journey through history, science, culture and society, in search of a more complete and enriching understanding of Septentrional-Oriente fault zone.
Faults that runs along Hispaniola, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba
The Septentrional-Orient fault zone (SOFZ) is a system of active coaxial left lateral-moving strike slip faults that runs along the northern side of the island of Hispaniola where Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located and continues along the south of Cuba along the northern margin of the Cayman Trough. The SOFZ shares approximately half of the relative motion between the North American and Caribbeantectonic plates with the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone and Walton fault zone which run along the southern side of Hispaniola and aong the southern margin of the Cayman Trough. Both fault zones terminate at the Mid-Cayman Rise to the west. Some researchers believe that the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone and the SOFZ bound a microplate, dubbed the Gonâve Microplate, a 190,000 km2 (73,000 sq mi) area of the northern Caribbean Plate that is in the process of shearing off the Caribbean Plate and accreting to the North America Plate.
In 1766 a devastating earthquake struck Cuba killing 40 to 120 inhabitants. And in 1842 a major tremor on this fault destroyed the city of Cap-Haïtien and other cities in the northern part of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on 7 May 1842. In January 2020, there was an M 7.7 earthquake on this fault between the southern tip of Cuba and the Cayman Islands that involved episodes of supershear rupture.
^Prepetit, Claude (9 October 2008). "Tremblements de terre en Haïti, mythe ou réalité?"(PDF). Le Matin (in French). 33082. Archived from the original(PDF) on 12 May 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2010., quoting Moreau de Saint-Méry, Médéric Louis Élie, Description topographique, physique, civile, politique et historique de la partie française de l'Ile Saint Domingue and J. M. Jan, bishop of Cap-Haïtien (1972), Documentation religieuse, Éditions Henri Deschamps.