Posted on 12/15/2018 10:03:41 AM PST by blam
Large earthquakes aren’t supposed to happen in Tennessee. On Wednesday, the largest earthquake in 45 years hit eastern Tennessee, and it made headlines all over the nation. The magnitude 4.4 quake was so powerful that it was felt in portions of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky. Significant shaking was even felt as far away as Atlanta, and that was highly unusual. The original earthquake was rapidly followed by a magnitude 3.0 aftershock, and subsequently there were several other noteworthy aftershocks.
We live at a time when earthquakes are increasing in size and frequency, and many are concerned about what this may mean for our future. The recent earthquakes in Alaska were a shock, but at least they made sense since much of the coastline of Alaska sits directly along the Ring of Fire. But eastern Tennessee is not an area that has traditionally been prone to quakes. Could it be possible that the “seismic scar” that was created when the North American continent was formed is beginning to reawaken?
Prior to Wednesday, the last time that eastern Tennessee had experienced an earthquake of this magnitude or greater was on November 30th, 1973.
That was 45 years ago, and many of you that will be reading this article were not even alive at that time.
Some experts had regarded eastern Tennessee as one of the “safest” areas in the eastern half of the country, but after what we just witnessed they may want to reevaluate things. When the earthquake happened, the shaking was so violent that it actually woke people from their sleep all the way over in neighboring North Carolina…
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at endoftheamericandream.com ...
Approximately 4:15 am.
meh
This was NOT a large earthquake. Large for Tennessee maybe but that’s all
Maybe some bureaucrat thought the people in that part of the country are a little too relaxed in their thinking about how safe they are and well people just need to be shook up a bit. I live in Dallas and the only time I was ever actually afeared because of a tornado was driving through Illinois and all the semi-trucks had exited the highway and parked in the rest stop practically pinned next to each other. It was when we stopped for gas that we found out less than a mile away a tornado had been spotted. I have never felt real panic before that point. And I live in Tornado Alley.
“”I don’t know what time.””
Isn’t that strange? As much coverage as this has gotten, I still haven’t heard a time....
Thank you.....That was central time?
No it wasn’t upgraded. Whatever fool said that doesn’t use the USGS site
There are old fault lines that run along the area of east Tennessee.
Between about 450 to 250 million years ago, the east coast of the United States was the site of massive tectonic collisions. The pro-Atlantic (the “Iapetus ocean”) was being consumed as a chain of islands, micro-continents, Africa and Europe steadily moved westward. Older, deeply buried bedrock (pre-Cambrian) was pushed up along thrust faults creating the Smokey and Blue Ridge mountains. This earthquake I’m sure was related to faults associated with the piecing together of these ancient land masses.
You were probably asleep at 430 am. By Cali standardstjis was a meh
It was part of the Tennessee fault
The Lions will win the Super Bowl before that happens........
Thanks. I read it a few places but I wasn’t sure. I haven’t heard of local damage.
Yes, it is. I looked on the Drudge ‘Quake Sheet’ and it wasn’t on there.
It woke me up around 4:15 am or so.
The New Madrid fault zone is the result of something that happened over 600 million years ago, when the pre-Pangea super-continent of Rhodina was breaking apart. When supercontinents break apart they do so in a 3-prong process. Ultimately one of the three prongs "fails" and spreading continues along the remaining two. This is what happened there.
It is also what is currently going on in the area of the Great Rift Valley in Africa, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
Just when we thought we had got rid of the biggest one!
I found this in the article:
“Felt it here in Arden off Brevard Rd for sure. Sitting on the couch at 4:15 am reading news on laptop and it felt like the house swayed back and forth for a few seconds. Weird…….” – Wayne Womble
4.4? Would that even get Californians out of bed?
TRUMP’S FAULT!! /s
All of the running backs for Tennessee fell on the floor for a loss though.
WOW....That WOULD get your attention all right.
My daughter and I traveled from Southern CA to GA in Feb. 2003 - she was relocating there and I was along for the ride and moral support (and also for gas/motels/food etc).
Outside of Abilene, my daughter asked me, “What’s that on the windshield - I said, “that’s ice”. “Well, how do I get rid of it?” Southern CA freeways weren’t where you got experience traveling in/on ice.
I told her to turn her defrosters on and “let’s get off the highway.” Easier said than done as by then everything was covered with ice and exit ramps were either UP a hill or DOWN with stop signs at the end of each and unable to stop...easily!!! I grew up and drove in upstate NY as a teenager and drove in snow but never ice so I wasn’t one to give much help to her except what we did - get off the road!!!!
Long story short, we made it to a motel, spent the night. We had to walk carefully to and from the car to the motel room. The next morning we saw 18 wheelers on the road so we figured it was safe and ventured out and followed in their TIRE TRACKS in the ice but it grew worse so we got off at another tricky exit ramp into Fort Worth and there we spent the next 3 days at the first motel/hotel we came to.
Expensive but I didn’t care - we were OFF the road!!! We had the whole downtown area to ourselves and other stranded travelers - walking carefully on ice to nearby restaurants for meals. ODDLY, the expensive motel/hotel didn’t have a restaurant. Courtyard Marriott or whatever, I think???
The day before traveling INTO TX was clear and sunny - we checked weather before we ever left home in CA - nothing pointed to that kind of weather...
I knew people who always said it takes forever to get through TX on a motor trip but I never thought it would take THAT long...
My husband and I have since moved to GA and we’ve had some ice storms here but being retired, we don’t have to BE anywhere!
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