High risk of further aftershocks

HAITI can expect more aftershocks in coming weeks, and while the usual pattern suggests they will become weaker and less frequent, another one as strong as yesterday’s jolt is certainly possible, scientists say.

The battered nation has felt more than 40 aftershocks since the January 12 quake, with yesterday’s temblor the strongest, with a magnitude of 6.1. These events are a sign the land is adjusting to “the new reality of the rock layers,” said Bruce Pressgrave, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey.

Eric Calais of Purdue University, who has studied earthquake potential in the region, said aftershocks could continue for several weeks and that another jolt as strong as yesterday’s would not be surprising.