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…
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(Excerpt) Read more at endoftheamericandream.com ...
I know the area where this earthquake took place; I go past it every time I drive south of Kentucky on I-75. A few miles from the epicenter is an underground lake. It’s a popular tourist attraction, called “The Lost Sea.” Now I’m wondering if the unique geological formation that created The Lost Sea also caused the earthquake.
muggs
In general if you have small quakes the chance of a large quake is diminished. What you do NOT want is a big fault that is very very quiet. Because the earth is in constant motion it means that the fault is "caught" on something. When it lets go it will be a doozy.
I stand corrected. Thanks for the good information.
Do you know if there has been much activity on the New Madrid in recent years?
I remember the billboards that at least used to decorate I-75 on the way to Florida, Rock City/Ruby Falls Cavern, The Lost Sea, and others. Just now, reading more about TLS, I think we chose wrong when I was in my teens. :^)
The New Madrid runs along the western end of the state, the mountains are in the eastern part. No connection between the two.
The quake hit shortly after 3 a.m. CST. It was felt in a town 10 miles north of us but though I was awake, I didn’t feel it here. I heard about it on the 4 a.m, Nashville news. The cats sensed it as they suddenly went bonkers running through the house at about that time.
There were several small quakes along that fault this week, which is unusual. Little jolts on the New Madrid are pretty common, always in the same general area.
Thanks.
Thanks.
You’re welcome. :-)
Yep, 1st one I’ve ever experienced so kinda freaked myself and family out.
Just happened to be under a nuclear power plant. Mere coincidence.
So many full on lies. First we KNOW there are faults in that region so anybody thinking earthquakes won’t happen there is just a damned idiot. And 4.5 just ain’t that big, ask anybody who ever lived on the West coast.
Your comments made me remember the old saying: “The sun has riz, The sun has set, And here we are, in Texas yet.
I think it was on a postcard I mailed in the early 1950’s.
I thought “black ice” was just roads slick with ice that couldn’t be seen? I don’t think we had anything like that where I grew up and was used to driving on lots of snow. This stuff in TX certainly could be seen - deep ruts from the big trucks tire tracks - my daughter got in them and I told her she wouldn’t easily get out of them, they were that deep.
I didn’t drive much in Southern CA but I told her I would be able to help drive on the trip and I said, ESPECIALLY in TX where I wouldn’t have to be in lots of traffic. HA - after that experience, I didn’t drive in TX or any other state coming cross country! Original chicken in traffic - learning to drive on two lane country roads in upstate NY and then driving on freeways was not my cup of tea!
That was some quake! Alaska and the Aleutians ended up in the Atlantic - now we’re really going to hear about Climate Change.
All those igloos melting in the Bahamas. News at 11.
I wasnt exactly certain what happened, it was not very strong, almost thought i imagined it.
We were within 8 miles of the epicenter and it seemed to us pretty intense.
The infamous earthquakes of 1811-12 called New Madrid were around the 8.0 intensity for the 3 biggest ones. Remember, each higher whole number is a multiple of 10 times the one below it. Within the same time period Caracas, Venezuela had a monster quake that killed at least 20,000 people.
Yeah, black ice is what surprises you, but after that it is just ice.
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