New Madrid Fault Zone Waking Up: When it Occurs -It WILL Be the Big One
For years I have been researching and watching this little known Fault Zone, which scientists say will wreak much havoc in midwest states. It is said that a powerful quake in the New Madrid area would forever change the landscape of the U.S.
Earthquakes that occur in the New Madrid Seismic Zone potentially threaten parts of eight American states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
A Little History
The quakes, which occurred between December 1811 and February 1812 produced seismic events measuring 7.0 and greater.
This was called the New Madrid “Sequence” because it happened over a few months. On December 16, 1811, the first quake which measured 7.5 – 7.9 (moment magnitude) was named the “Daylight Shock.” Its epicenter was located in northeast Arkansas. Although it was very powerful, it did little damage because the area was so sparsely populated.
The initial shock on December 16, was followed by a 7.4 aftershock on that same day. ‘Uplifts’ in the ground gave observers the impression that the Mississippi river was flowing backwards!
On January 23, 1812, a magnitude 7.3 quake occurred with its epicenter around New Madrid. Although this shock was said to be the smallest of the four, it did extensive damage – ground deformation, landslides, fissuring, and stream banks caved.
On February 7th, 1812, the largest quake in the series (7.5) occurred in the New Madrid, Missouri area and completely destroyed the town of New Madrid.
In St. Louis, Missouri, many homes were damaged beyond repair as the quake toppled chimneys. It appears that this event happened at “Reelfoot fault” (a reverse fault) which crosses under the Mississippi River.
This created temporary waterfalls along the Mississippi River, which in turn created a wave upstream; thus creating a wave which caused the formation of Reelfoot Lake by damming streams.
Recent news on the New Madrid Fault Zone:
From usatoday.com
How likely is an earthquake in the Midwest, South? The Big One could be coming
Some East Tennesseans got an early start to their Wednesday when an earthquake centered in Decatur rattled through the area.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The question is not if a massive earthquake will hit more than a half dozen states that border the Mississippi River, but rather when it will happen.
A minor earthquake early Wednesday that centered on Decatur in East Tennessee about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville was felt into Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“A 4.4 magnitude earthquake is a reminder for people to be prepared,” said John Bobel, a public information officer for the division of emergency management in Kentucky’s Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. People see indoor objects shake with magnitude 4 to 4.9 quakes, but the quakes generally cause little to minimal damage.
Scientists have seen evidence that the central Mississippi River Valley has seen major earthquakes for more than 4,000 years.
On Dec. 16, 1811, the first of three major earthquakes and numerous aftershocks struck what is now known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a series of faults that stretch 150 miles from Cairo, Illinois, to Marked Tree, Arkansas.
Today the zone threatens Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. That’s a different set of faults than Wednesday’s quake in the East Tennessee Seismic Zone.
Back in 1811, New Madrid, Missouri, itself had only 400 people, St. Louis to the north had about 1,500 residents and Memphis to the south wasn’t even a twinkle in its founders’ eyes, according to the Central United States Earthquake Consortium. Damage was reported as far away as Charleston, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia; and the quakes, estimated at 7.5 to 7.7 magnitude, were felt more than 1,000 miles away in Connecticut.
Today, an estimated 11 million people live in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, according to TransRe, a reinsurance company that essentially insures the property insurance companies.
“The big thing we prepare for is with New Madrid,” Bobel said. “Depending on the significance of an earthquake, Memphis, Tennessee, would be gone; St. Louis would be wrecked.”
Keep in mind, the New Madrid quakes of 1811 and 1812 were almost 2,000 times bigger than Wednesday’s 4.4 trembler and released almost 90,000 times more energy, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake calculator. The Feb. 7, 1812, quake formed 20-square-mile Reelfoot Lake, now a state park in West Tennessee.
That’s not as strong as the largest magnitude earthquake in U.S. history, the 9.2-magnitude Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964. But the New Madrid quakes affected an area two to three times larger and 10 times larger than the April 18, 1906, San Francisco earthquake, which is now estimated as a 7.9 magnitude.
The New Madrid quakes affected a larger area because of the sedimentary rock in the Mississippi Valley, rock such as limestone, sandstone and shale that is made of compressed sediment. The granite of the West is better able to contain the shaking, according to Pennsylvania State University’s Earthquake Seismology Group.
So, what could a big quake look like in the fault zone today? Well, Bobel didn’t sugarcoat it. It would be bad.
“Anything west of I-65, infrastructure would be severely damaged,” Bobel said of the interstate that bisects Kentucky and Tennessee. “The ground could even liquify and turn to mud,” which happened in 1811 and 1812.
In a 7.7 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid Fault, the Mid-America Earthquake Center at the University of Illinois estimated in 2008 that Tennessee would have the worst damage: 250,000 buildings moderately or severely damaged, more than 260,000 people displaced, significantly more than 60,000 injuries and fatalities, total direct economic losses surpassing $56 billion, $64 billion today when adjusted for inflation. Kentucky would have the next most significant damage, totaling $45 billion, $52 billion today.
Depending on the epicenter of such a quake, “areas within the NMSZ would experience widespread and catastrophic physical damage, negative social impacts, and economic losses,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in 2008. The agency remains concerned that adoption and enforcement of codes that would allow buildings to withstand a strong earthquakeare spotty at best and little retrofitting has occurred.
How likely is such a disaster?
Seismologists estimate that the New Madrid Seismic Zone has a 25 percent to 40 percent chance of producing a significant quake within the next 50 years, according to Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. USGS studies have concluded that the zone has generated magnitude 7 to 8 earthquakes about every 500 years for the past 1,200 years.
Prep your home
Remember, most earthquake injuries come from falling objects and debris, not the actual movement of the ground. To prepare your home, here are some tips from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government:
• Fasten shelves, mirrors, picture frames and similar objects securely to walls – preferably not over beds, sofas, or other places you may sit.
• Secure tall furniture, such as bookcases and filing cabinets, to wall studs or masonry. Use flexible straps that will allow the furniture to sway without toppling. Also, secure expensive electronic devices such as televisions.
• Secure appliances such as your refrigerator and water heater with straps connected to wall studs.
• Store heavy or breakable objects on lower shelves, or in cabinets with latched doors.
• Have a professional assess your home’s structure for quake vulnerabilities, then repair or reinforce any damaged or weak points.
Brethren, I am praying that this fault zone will remain dormant for a very long time. But it is good to be aware of the possibility of this erupting. I think that the checklist of things to do beforehand is prudent. (From 2018)
MARANATHA!
