Posted on 10/10/2010 5:13:53 PM PDT by SumProVita
In Palm Beach?
“A year or two ago seismologists from Northwestern, Purdue, and the University of Missouri suggested that the New Madrid Fault is actually shutting down.”
“The conclusions by Stein and co-investigator Mian Lu, professor of geological sciences at the University of Missouri, are controversial.
While acknowledging that Stein’s GPS measurements are accurate and important, researchers at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis say it’s overly simplistic to interpret them as meaning the fault system has shut down.
“It’s one piece of data,” said Chuck Langston, director of the Memphis center.
Despite the lack of movement, the historical record for New Madrid is clear, he said. Every 400 to 500 years, the fault zone has produced huge earthquakes. In addition to the 1811-12 shocks, which were estimated to have magnitudes of up to 7.8, researchers have found geologic evidence of similarly large quakes in the New Madrid zone around the years 1450 and 900 A.D. and as far back as 2350 B.C.
Given the slow pace of geologic changes, Langston questions how a fault zone that produced such powerful quakes only two centuries ago could undergo such a dramatic transformation so quickly.
“It just doesn’t work that way,” he said. “It takes hundreds of thousands of years for the Earth to do something — either start up or shut off.”
In 2006, a panel of experts convened by the U.S. Geological Survey to assess earthquake hazards in the eastern half of the nation evaluated the GPS data on which Stein bases his conclusions. The panel did not find the data to be a “convincing reason” to downgrade the seismic hazard in the New Madrid zone, a USGS report says.”
http://www.scrippsnews.com/content/scientists-debate-if-new-madrid-fault-dead-or-just-sleeping
I’m sure it’s scary for you but here in California that probably qouldn’t cause a raised eyebrow.
When I lived in OK, iwas frequently told how being in eartquake country would be to scary.
Just laughed and said I seen plenty of tornadoes.
life comes with risks
The Ouchitas are south of Little Rock and the Ozarks are north. Guy, Arkansas is about 40 miles north of Little Rock. The Arkansas River divides the two mountain chains.
I work for and architectural firm about 200 miles NE of Little Rock smack dab in Zone 3. We have to design for both earthquakes and tornadoes.
Good for tourism.
You are more than correct. The maximum displacement of a 3.0 earthquake is 1 mm. I'm more that a little dubious of how they detected that 4 km down. Maybe they are referring to the surface displacement.
Actually, I’m not scared. I lived in CA for a time and got used to frequent tremors. I’ve lived through tornadoes.
HOWEVER, this fault zone has a potential to wreak huge damage, take many lives and.... we know we cannot count on the Federal gov’t to do much. Therefore people need to be prepared.
Life does come with risks. That’s why God gave us common sense. ;-)
Oil and natural gas lines would be the worst... if it happens, hope it's BEFORE winter...
Yeah, I’m pretty sure most places are fine to about 4.5.
If 1811 repeats and 8.0 ensues that’s different for everyone even here in CA and I live 7 miles off San andreas
Still, I’m midwest on sedimentary it would way worse than here.
like shifting sand as opposed shaking granite.
I shudder and my mom llives in Tulsa
floods and tornadoes in Ok and trying drive through areas I thought were high ground. Seeing the roofs of card floating was weird.
never saw the guard for looting patrols.
Okies aint stoopid enough to wait for fed.
thatls why they are Sooners.
Chief Tecumseh’s revenge.
When “that one” goes, taking down Memphis ... you’ll never hear about Katrina again. This is a “nuclear” Katrina ticking over there near the Mississippi. Glad I moved away. Talk about an unprepared situation just waiting to “happen”.
From your link...very interesting....
Today, the New Madrid fault zone, which is active (continuing to move), holds the highest earthquake risk in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Because of its geologic structure based in sedimentary rock, the damage it can cause is up to twenty times GREATER than those on the West Coast.
In the winter of 1811–12, a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the Mississippi River Valley. The ground shook so violently that it rang church bells a thousand miles away in Boston.
“Okies aint stoopid enough to wait for fed.
thatls why they are Sooners.”
Yep! That’s why we here in Tennessee are known as the Volunteers! During the massive Nashville floods earlier this year, we got busy and cleaned up too. Lots of people who had no/little damage volunteered to help others. Everyone worked together....and I didn’t hear any whining. We KNOW government is not reliable....so we just DO what is needed.
Yes, it was pretty powerful. It made the Mississippi River run backwards and created a new lake as well....Reelfoot Lake....where bald eagles nest now.
My late wife was an Oklahoma State grad. She always referred to the Sooners as the “land thieves”.
. . and the Mississippi River ran backwards for a time and a large lake (Reelfoot) was formed. Log structures had a lot more “give” to them than do the steel and concrete ones that weren’t built to accommodate quakes. More houses now and structures in general than back in the 1800’s.
That’s hugely destructive for the Mississippi to run backwards!
I checked the maps...it would indeed cover a wide area...and those posting the ground is like sand would make the destruction today all the worse.
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