I had no idea of the risk in some areas of the country... http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1128/pdf/OF08-1128.pdf (BIG)
Its hard to imagine an earthquake ever happening here in Houston. Although, when I was teenager, I remember a salt dome exploding out near Brenham that shook all of Houston and several radio stations reporting that we had an earthquake.
The New Madrid fault system is especially hazardous. At least on the West Coast, people are used to the idea that there may be an earthquake and buildings are designed, to a degree, to withstand them. New Data Confirms Strong Earthquake Risk to Central U.S. By Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Senior Writer 22 June 2005 01:05 pm ET A colossal earthquake that caused damage from South Carolina to Washington D.C. and temporarily reversed the course of the Mississippi River nearly two centuries ago could be repeated within the next 50 years, scientists said today. Strain is building on a fault near Memphis, Tennessee that was the site of a magnitude 8.1 earthquake in 1812, according to new observations that settle a debate on the risk of another huge quake. The odds of another 8.0 event within 50 years are between 7 and 10 percent, geologists said today. The assessment, based on new data from a recently installed array of sensors, puts to rest a 1990s claim that strain was not increasing. Such a strong earthquake would rock the entire eastern half of the country and prove devastating to the local region. A lesser but still damaging quake of magnitude 6 or greater has a 90 percent chance of striking in the next five decades. The new study, detailed in the June 23 issue of the journal Nature, reveals a vexing characteristic of the fault that traverses the region. The ground moves more near the fault, creeping a few millimeters every year, than it does farther from it. "I can't explain how the movement is driven," said study team member Michael Ellis, a geologist at the University of Memphis. That lack of understanding makes the task of pinpointing when the next quake might hit even more challenging. Repeating history In a three-month period in 1811-12, three major earthquakes rattled a broad expanse of the United States, causing damage as far away as Charleston, South Carolina and even rattling nerves in Boston. The quakes triggered landslides into the Mississippi River and, according to some boaters who were not drowned, sent part of the river running the other direction for a time. The earthquakes were centered around New Madrid, Missouri. They measured 8.1, 8.0 and 7.8 and represent three of the four strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the lower 48 states. Over the past 12 years, geologists have found evidence for other prehistoric calamities along the New Madrid fault. Sandy soil in some areas became liquefied in past events, leaving telltale "sandblows" when the material was squished to the surface. This tendency for soil east of the Rockies to liquefy, along with other differences in geology, means earthquakes there pack more potential for damage and are felt over a much wider region than western temblors. http://www.livescience.com/environment/050622_new_madrid.html Pretty scary. This could go off someday and be an incredible disaster. Few people lived in the area 200 years ago. Levees would break on the Mississippi, etc., and a pretty limitless number of other bad things.
I just entered high school when that happened. I was getting ready for school and my baby sister yelled at me from downstairs b/c she thought I slammed my bedroom door closed when the "sonic boom" from the explosion occurred.
I remember that,1992 to be exact. I was getting ready to go out to the bus stop and the whole house just started shaking. Scared the hell out of me but I was in the 4th grade at the time.
You learn new things everyday. If I was living in Memphis, the last thing I would expect would be an earthquake, let alone a major earthquake.
What the hell is a salt dome? We had an earthquake here in Illinois last week. It was in southern Illinois, but a lot of people here in Chicago claimed they felt it. I didn't feel a thing.
Want to read an excellent speculative novel about a modern New Madrid earthquake and the aftermath? This is a great read and will scare the hell out of you.
max 10 percent ... I can live with a 10 percent chance because that means there's at least a 90% chance its bull. I will just make sure I tell any decendents to buy earthquake proof houses... and insurance. That was only a 5.2 and it knocked over walls as far as Louisville Kentucky, but I didn't feel it either... of course it was 5:30 in the morning.. so I was dead to the world at the time too.
The novel I mentioned is a real trip to read. The author is highly regarded in the science fiction genre and makes excellent use of real science. The New Madrid fault, when it does blow (hopefully never), is far different than the West Coast earthquakes. Can you believe the ones in 1811/12 were felt in Boston?
I've actually never heard of that author but I am going to check the book out. Considering you are talking by car approximately 14 hours minimum to get from Southern Illinois to Boston. No it boggles the mind. That us gov report is rather interesting though. To read about the slippage and seismic activity and proximity reports, pretty cool (and I'm not even scientifically minded!). I only skimmed through it looking at the pretty pictures but I may have to read a bit of it if I can find the time.
I live in Jonesboro, Arkansas (NE Arkansas) and we're always hearing about the dangers of earthquakes along the New Madrid fault and there are actually laws now requiring new buildings to be earthquake proof and such. The University of Memphis actually has an earthquake center setup now. When that one hit last week, insurance companies stopped allowing people along the fault to purchase earthquake protection.
