Earthquake 4.2 M - ARKANSAS

USGS Email | 11/20/10 | USGS

[Keith in Iowa]

There was a 3.0 yesterday in AR.

[FourPeas]

Oh, no. Does this mean Mississippi State scored on the Razorbacks?

[NeverForgetBataan]

The ground in Guy, AR moves so often they need seat belts on the toilets.

[KoRn]

Lots of activity in that area during recent months.

[SumProVita]

It has definitely been rumbling a lot recently....

http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.html

[Mr. Mojo]

New Madrid acting up again.

[Red_Devil 232]

I so hope it does! We will see at around 6pm central on ESPN tonight!

[Keith in Iowa]

I don’t think this is connected to the New Madrid zone- but activity here could be putting stress there that sooner or later is going to need to be released.

[RJS1950]

Sounds like the New Madrid is rumbling and there have been predictions that is overdue for a big one. Had a small one ~3.0 here in Nebraska last week along the Humbolt/Union fault lines. Something is on the move.

[ErnBatavia]

Being a southern Californian, I used to be kinda nervous sleeping in homes in the midwest -- due to all the knick knacks on wall rails, and stuff all over high cabinets.

We 'decorate' a little differently here if we want to avoid head breakage, let alone loss of possessions.

[Elle Bee]

My very thought

On December 16, 1811, the 400 residents of New Madrid, Missouri, were shaken out of their beds at two in the morning by a violent earthquake. Huge cracks split the ground. The waters of the Mississippi rose and fell like a great tide. Giant waves rose up and swept north, giving the impression that the river was actually flowing backwards. Boats along the river were engulfed, capsized, and theeair crews drowned.

It's one year after two New Madrid earthquakes have devastated the Mississippi Valley.
Battalions of foreign peackeepers are occupying Tennessee, at the invitation of the President.

Phil Carson, (from "Enemies Foreign And Domestic"), and three strangers are hiding in a well-stocked cave, which is a guerrilla fighter's lair. Across the region Kazakh "contract peacekeepers" are wiping out the last remaining American holdouts, who have rejected the federal government's order to abandon their homes and move to "relocation centers."

This scene is in the middle of the novel.

CLICK on COVER to read excerpt from FReeper Travis McGee

.

.

[bd476]

Earthquake Ping List.
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Anna. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 1996. 24:339-84

The Enigma of the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812

Arch C. Johnston

Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152

Eugene S. Schweig

United States Geological Survey and CERI, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152

ABSTRACT

Continental North America's greatest earthquake sequence struck on the western frontier of the United States. The frontier was not then California but the valley of the continent's greatest river, the Mississippi, and the sequence was the New Madrid earthquakes of the winter of 1811-1812.

Their described impacts on the land and the river were so dramatic as to produce widespread modem disbelief. However, geological, geophysical, and historical research, carried out mostly in the past two decades, has verified much in the historical accounts. The sequence included at least six (possibly nine) events of estimated moment magnitude M . 7 and two of M @ 8.

The faulting was in the intruded crust of a failed intracontinental rift, beneath the saturated alluvium of the river valley, and its violent shaking resulted in massive and extensive liquefaction. The largest earthquakes ruptured at least six (and possibly more than seven) intersecting fault segments, one of which broke the surface as a thrust fault that disrupted the bed of the Mississippi River in at least 2 (and possibly four) places...

The Enigma of the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812

[UCANSEE2]

I find this program to be so helpful in seeing the ‘patterns’ of earthquake activity.

It is 3D, and you can spin the Earth, zoom in/out, and there a bunch of controls that will keep you busy for hours.

EARTHQUAKE 3D. Go to the link, download it (about 2 seconds), then run it.

It is awesome and yet a very small program.
Best of all, IT’S FREE.

http://www.wolton.net/quake.html

[RJS1950]

I was stationed on the Mohave desert in the early 70s about 150 miles from the epicenter when a big one hit. It shook the concrete barracks we were in that morning and when I felt it I looked out the window to see the trees between the buildings swaying. The California quakes definitely make anyone living there think about their surroundings.

[bd476]

The Great New Madrid Earthquake

Roman numerals indicate estimated Modified Mercalli intensities for a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.

Based on maps in W. Atkinson, 1989, The Next New Madrid Earthquake, Southern Illinois University Press

Introduction to the New Madrid Seismic Zone

The New Madrid Seismic zone lies within the central Mississippi Valley, extending from northeast Arkansas, through southeast Missouri, western Tennessee, western Kentucky to southern Illinois.

Historically, this area has been the site of some of the largest earthquakes in North America. Between 1811 and 1812, 4 catastrophic earthquakes, with magnitude estimates greater than 7.0, occurred during a 3-month period.

Hundreds of aftershocks followed over a period of several years. The largest earthquakes to have occurred since then were on January 4, 1843 and October 31, 1895 with magnitude estimates of 6.0 and 6.2 respectively. In addition to these events, seven events of magnitude >= 5.0 have occurred in the area. Instruments were installed in and around this area in 1974 to closely monitor seismic activity.

Since then, more than 4000 earthquakes have been located, most of which are too small to be felt. On average one earthquake per year will be large enough to be felt in the area.

The New Madrid seismic zone is so named because the town of New Madrid, Missouri was the closest settlement to the epicenters of the 1811-1812 quakes. At that time, St. Louis and other major cities in the central U.S. were sparsely settled.

At least 3 of the series of earthquakes were felt throughout much of the U.S. and as far away as Quebec. The potential for the recurrence of such earthquakes and their impact today on densely populated cities in and around the seismic zone, has generated much research devoted to understanding earthquakes. By closely monitoring the earthquake activity, scientists can hope to understand their causes, recurrence rates, ground motion and disaster mitigation.

The probability for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater is significant in the near future, with a 50% chance by the year 2000 and a 90% chance by the year 2040. A quake with a magnitude equal to that of the 1811- 1812 quakes could result in great loss of life and property damage in the billions of dollars. Scientists believe we could be overdue for a large earthquake and through research and public awareness may be able to prevent such losses.

Introduction to the New Madrid Seismic Zone

[pollywog]

Hmmmmmmmmmm! Turkey’s protesting Thanksgiving? lol
Thanks. Missed it. I check the USGS site three or four times a hour, and happened to miss this one.

Polly

[Cindy]

Thank you for the ping bd476.

[bd476]

You're welcome, Pollywog. There are many days when I consider moving out of California to the Midwest where I grew up. Then there are days like today when that thought vanishes. California has earthquake "proof" buildings and retrofitted bridges and overpasses which hopefully give people a better chance of survival during a catastrophic earthquake.

Here's just a little of what has been said about the likelihood of another catastrophic earthquake occurring in the New Madrid Seismic Zone:

The probability for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater is significant in the near future, with a 50% chance by the year 2000 and a 90% chance by the year 2040.

A quake with a magnitude equal to that of the 1811- 1812 quakes could result in great loss of life and property damage in the billions of dollars.

Scientists believe we could be overdue for a large earthquake and through research and public awareness may be able to prevent such losses.

Introduction to the New Madrid Seismic Zone

[Whenifhow]

FYI

[The Comedian]

Thanks bud!

Multi-quakes still red hot. If something doesn't pop soon, I'm going to have to recalibrate.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.