Posted on 01/10/2008 4:35:30 AM PST by Robert A Cook PE
Perhaps these small, easily ignored earthquakes should remind us that it was only 200 years ago that the largest earthquake in the US struck in this same region. They are clustered in a straight line between Paducah, KY; Memphis, TN; and Cape Girardeau, MO - Very close to the New Madrid quake of 1811-1812.
More info:
http://hsv.com/genlintr/newmadrd/
http://quake.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/NewMadrid/
It's dismissed almost casually in most of today's "history" books as an "inactive" fault, or as an earthquake not occurring in a fault zone at all, but as we see exaggerated environmental scares every day (every hour ?) we should realize that real (uncontrollable) dangers exist even in Mid-America.
I've never seen the slightest evidence of this.
Calling Edwards! Calling Edwards! I want to Sue!
Does $3 Quadrillion sound like a good figger!
This is happening because the earthquake threat in that area is ignored.
Because of the real and tangible threat, every household in that area should have at least a couple of weeks emergency rations/gear stowed away. But do they - Noooooo - they think it just can’t happen in their life times or they think that the government will rebuild for them.
I don't think it's ignored. Certainly isn't ignored by geologists and governments. I regularly see articles in the scientific press and in the popular press about the threat of the New Madrid Fault Zone.
Plenty of citizens may ignore it, but that's also true in California.
If anything I think what perhaps gets ignored is the (likely greater than New Madrid) earthquake threat in places like Utah, Reno Nevada, Albuquerque, and other places in the intermountain West.
This was no *small* geological event in American history.
From what I’ve seen, this went on for a couple of yrs. with several major quakes.
If it happened today.......
Move to California!
I need to write faster!
If the New Madrid busts loose, it could take out the TN River dams, and most of the bridges over the Mississippi, TN and Ohio Rivers between Vicksburg and Paducah, as well as wrecking highway overpasses etc. Many major natural gas pipelines from the Gulf to the Northeast could also be broken. It would be difficult to bring in relief supplies and reconstruction equipment, because the highway, river and RR infrastructure would all be cut or blocked at the same time in an interlocking way.
I grew up in L.A. I take earth wakes very seriously.
Anyone seen Elvis lately? Maybe he’s up and doing aerobics.
People settle in Earthquake, Flood, Tornado, Hurricane and Blizzard prone areas and then blame the government because a natural catastrophe strikes them? Stupidity reigns!
I don’t live too far from this area. Maybe I’ll hit the Disaster Lottery some day, too.
Nah ... 8<)
Already served my time in h*ll out there.
(We got woken up here in NW GA (Atlanta area) a few years ago by a quake in Alabama ... )
I was here in Memphis and didn’t feel a thing.
The show showed archeology info which was fascinating & the bad earthquakes has happened more than once in the Memphis & other areas .
It would make what Hurricane Kat did to New Orleans look like a mud puddle.
With those small a series of quakes?
True, you almost certainly would not feel anything below a 3.
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