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The New Madrid SEISMIC ZONE

The New Madrid SEISMIC ZONE. On December 16, 1811, the 400 terrified residents of the town of New Madrid, MO were abruptly wakened by violent shaking and a tremendous roar It was the first of three magnitude 8 earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks to rock the region that winter.

odette-hooper
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The New Madrid SEISMIC ZONE

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  1. The New Madrid SEISMIC ZONE

  2. On December 16, 1811, the 400 terrified residents of the town of New Madrid, MO were abruptly wakened by violent shaking and a tremendous roar • It was the first of three magnitude 8 earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks to rock the region that winter

  3. In the winter of 1811-1812, the Central Mississippi valley was struck by three of the most powerful earthquakes in U.S. history Isoseismal map for the December 16, 1811 earthquake, first of the 1811-1812 New Madrid series

  4. The fault zone originated 750 million years ago, when the earth’s landmass was a supercontinent • At that time, a constructive fault zone began to form, but failed • It is now known as the Reelfoot Rift

  5. Although earthquakes are less frequent here than in Western states, they effect much larger areas

  6. The two largest probably exceeded the size of any continental US earthquake • No fewer than 18 of the earthquake events were felt on the Atlantic seaboard and in Washington DC • The series was named after the small riverboat town of New Madrid, sited at the heart of epicentral zone, which was the largest settlement between St. Louis and Natchez in 1811

  7. Inhabitants per square mile, 1811-1812

  8. New Madrid marks the intersection of three of the six fault segments currently illuminated by microseismicity and believed to be the rupture planes for the 1811-1812 earthquakes

  9. Research confirms the 1811-1812 quakes cause fissuring, sand and water blows, landslides, large sunken lakes, waterfalls on the Mississippi River, and sunken forests

  10. Kentucky historical sign

  11. In 1811, the Mississippi Valley was sparsely populated • Today, the region is home to millions of people, including the cities of St. Louis and Memphis • Most structures in the region were not built to withstand earthquake shaking • Earthquake preparedness has lagged behind Earthquakes recorded since 1974

  12. Climatologist Dr. Iben Browning predicted that there would be an earthquake on the New Madrid Fault on December 3, 1990 • The prediction caused quite a stir…

  13. sources “Contemporary Newspaper Accounts of Mississippi Valley Earthquakes of 1811-1812” slu.edu 15 January 2009 <http://www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/SEISMICITY/Nuttli.1973/nuttli-73-app.html> Johnston, Arch C. and Eugene S. Schweig. “The Enigma of the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812.” Earth. 24 (1996): 339-384. “The Mississippi Valley – ‘Whole LottaShakin’ Goin’ On’ “ usgs.gov 15 January 2009 <http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/NewMadrid/> “Uncovering Hazards of the Mississippi Valley” usgs.gov 15 January 2009 <http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/HiddenHazs/>

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