Posted on 06/22/2005 3:02:56 PM PDT by QQQQQ
There's a good example of the concentric exfoliation shown along the line highlighted above.
This link is of whitesides mountain, pretty close to High Hampton. Lots of fracturing going on.
http://www.southeastclimbing.com/images/l_whiteside_jason.jpg
"There's a good example of the concentric exfoliation shown along the line highlighted above."
Is it inconceivable, that what I have been told could have occurred? That the 1886 Charleston earthquake caused, not rock, but topsoil, vegetation and trees to slough off and fall down to the bottome, exposing this? The "concentric exfoliation" that you speak of... I'd imagine that there are other possibilities as far as a cause, other than erosion, freeze thaw cycle, etcetera? I'm not quite willing to concede yet, even though I've not found any supporting info or a source.
I know that they are reevaluating and revising building codes in western Tenn. All new large buildings must be built to earthquake codes and if you travel around the western part of the state you will see that they have installed metal sleeves on all of the supports on overpasses and bridges.
Building codes won't help in most of the area though. The flat land with high water tables can quickly liquefy. My mother's home sits about 20' off of a lake that was formed in the 1812 quake when the ground liquefied. It is a really pretty place but scares me when I think that it could happen again.
"But people living in other parts of the country are sometimes very smug about "so what if there is an earthquake in CA, maybe it will just go into the ocean and who cares"? Now they need to give up some of their smugness, because it CAN happen to THEM too."
Why do you think people outside of California are smug? I don't think there are many people who would really wish a devastating earthquake on California. I lived 30 miles West of Nashville, Tn. and I was the only person on my road to purchase earthquake insurance. I was thinking specifically of the New Madrid fault.
I heard a deep rumble. I thought it was a truck going over a small bridge that spanned a river that ran parallel to the house. Then I noticed the leaves of a tall potted plant in the room swaying like a palm tree on a windy beach.
At the same time, I suddenly felt "off kilter" and slightly sick to my stomach.
This all happened in the matter of a few seconds. Then everything was back to normal. I didn't give it much attention till I saw on TV that evening that it was an earthquake.
Earthquakes just DON'T happen in northern Illinois.....so I had always thought.
We won't have to worry about a little ol' earthquake when the super volcano erupts.
I didn't feel it here (near Charleston), but I guess I would have to have been in a quiet place to notice.
Note: this topic is from 6/22/2005. Thanks QQQQQ.
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I am guessing you mean the Civil War and the earthquake of 1886. Do you know of a significant later one? Currently an Illinois company Exelon is attempting with lots of money to persuade 4 mid Atlantic states to allow them to buy their local electric utilities. They have 23 nuclear plants in middle America, a number aging and approaching their phase out date. If they end up hooking those extra ratepayers, the poor folks better pray that there is no big quake they end up having to pay for. The recent Virginia quake was 5.8. The nearby North Anna nuclear plant is rated for up to a 6.0. Frankly that is too close for anyone with sense and information to want to take on that risk with 23 plants.
Not too long ago I read information that quakes equal to 1811-12 only occur every 400 to 500 years, but that somewhat smaller, but still serious ones can occur every 200 years. I don’t plan to have any investments in St. Louis.
As I pointed out in my Comment #70, there is a real danger if nuclear plants are not built to a high enough earthquake standard. A few years ago an earthquake of 5.8 was close to the North Anna plant built to a 6.0 standard. If a 6 to 7 quake is about 90% certain then beware if Exelon comes to your state seeking your ratepayers to cover the risk for their 23 nuclear plants.
When I clicked your link it went to a general page with a message of not found. Then I entered High Hampton Inn in the search bar and found nothing there either.
As reported by Abigail, strong earthquakes do occur in Illinois. In fact your nuclear electrical utility is trying to persuade Maryland, DC and other eastern states to join with Exelon. Exelon has 11 nuclear plants in Illinois and 12 more in other states. I wonder to how high an earthquake level they have been constructed. I felt the recent Mineral, VA earthquake. My walls were shuddering intensely for about 15 seconds, and I discovered that the North Anna nuclear plant near the epicenter was built to a 6.0 standard near this 5.8 level quake. Brrrrr!
Also, do you or your friends have any positive or negative experiences with Exelon?
There are several photos in the header on the first page of the site showing the granite dome I mentioned, it’s at the end of the lake. Just click the arrows on the side to scroll the photos.
Years ago, when I was considering buying a house near the Long Point Fault, I drove many streets looking for evidence of the fault. There were elevation changes in roads, driveways, and lawns, damage to houses that had been built on the fault (tilted windows, doors, and roofs and cracked driveways). I traced the fault for miles through streets north of I-10, then through streets south of I-10 all the way south of Buffalo Bayou.
I found that it was best to plot the locations of those fault indicators on USGS maps rather than on oil company city maps (ah, the good old days when those maps were given out free at gas stations). The USGS maps were far more accurate. Drawing lines through the fault locations on the USGS maps showed that the fault moved in straight line segments. After some distance the fault would turn and run in another straight line in a different direction. The fault made its way across the western part of Houston in a series of straight line segments.
Mapping the fault was a fun project. I found that the house I wanted to buy was 800 feet from the fault, so I purchased it. I once took some cub scouts in my son’s pack on a tour of the fault only to find that the fault ran through the front yard of one scout’s house. They were not aware of it.
I was transferred up north a few years later. When I was transferred back to Houston we considered selling our Houston house (which we had kept) and buying a larger one. One of the houses the real estate agent showed us was right on the fault. It was a nice house with no visible damage at that point in time, but we didn’t want to take a chance on having damage show up in the future. We moved back into our old house.
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