Kentucky earthquake rattles/Virginia border area

The epicenter of Tuesday’s earthquake was the orange dot inside the concentric colored circles. Photo: USGS

According to the USGS, a weak earthquake struck eastern Kentucky near the Kentucky/Virginia border last night, shaking the area but causing no damage or injuries. Dozens of people have used the phrase “Did you feel it?” Reporting tool on the USGS website for online earthquake reporting. The 2.5-magnitude event occurred outside of Benham, Kentucky at 9:38 p.m.; The earthquake was at a depth of 7.9 kilometers.

Earthquake hazards are possible in large areas of the United States. The map illustrates such risks and is based on the most recent USGS models for the contiguous United States (2018), Hawaii (1998), and Alaska (2007). Photo: USGS

Kentucky is no stranger to earthquakes. However, most earthquakes in the country strike in the western part in an area known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone. There have been 17 earthquakes in the last 7 days within the New Madrid seismic area, but all of them have been outside the Kentucky border.

While the West Coast of the United States is well known for its seismic faults and powerful earthquakes, not many are aware that one of the largest earthquakes to ever hit the country actually occurred near the Mississippi River. On December 16, 1811, at about 2:15 a.m., a powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake rocked northeastern Arkansas in what is now known as the New Madrid seismic zone. The earthquake was felt across much of the eastern United States, shaking people out of bed in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina. The ground shook for an incredible 1-3 minutes in areas hit hard by the earthquake, such as Nashville, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky. The ground movements were so violent near the epicenter that liquefaction occurred, as dirt and water were thrown dozens of feet into the air. President James Madison and his wife, Dolly, felt the earthquake in the White House while church bells rang in Boston because of the shaking there.

But the earthquakes did not end there. From December 16, 1811 through March, 1812, more than 2,000 earthquakes were reported in the central Midwest with 6,000-10,000 earthquakes located in “Bothell,” Missouri where the New Mexico seismic zone is centered.

Comparison of the extent of damage between a moderate earthquake in the New Madrid area (1895, magnitude 6.8), and a similar event in Los Angeles (1994, magnitude 6.7). yellow indicates where the vibration is felt; Red indicates at least minor damage to buildings and their contents. Photo: USGS

The second major shock, of magnitude 7.8, occurred in Missouri weeks later on January 23, 1812, and the third, of magnitude 8.8, struck on February 7, 1812, along the Reelfoot Fault in Missouri and Tennessee.

Since 1974, there have been more than 4,000 earthquakes near the New Madrid seismic zone. Scientists believe that a major earthquake here in the future is not a matter of if but of when. Photo: USGS

Major earthquakes and severe aftershocks caused significant damage and some loss of life, although the lack of scientific tools and news gathering in that era was unable to capture the full scale of what really happened. In addition to the vibrations, earthquakes have also been responsible for triggering unusual natural phenomena in the area: earthquake lights, seismic hot water, and seismic smog.

Residents in the Mississippi Valley reported seeing lights flashing from the ground. Scientists believe that this phenomenon was “seismic luminescence”. This light is created when quartz crystals are compressed into the ground. The “earthquake lights” were turned on during initial earthquakes and strong aftershocks.

The water flowing into the air from the land, or the nearby Mississippi River, was also unusually warm. Scientists speculate that the resulting intense vibration and friction heated the water, similar to the way a microwave oven stimulates molecules to vibrate and generate heat. Other scientists believe that as the quartz crystals contracted, the emitted light also helped heat the water.

During strong earthquakes, the sky was so dark that residents claimed that the lit lamps did not help to illuminate the area; They also said that the air smelled bad and it was hard to breathe. Scientists speculate that this “seismic smog” was caused by dust particles rising from the surface, combining with warm water particles bouncing off in the cold winter air. The result was a steamy, dusty cloud that covered the areas dealing with the earthquake.

The February earthquake was so severe that boaters on the Mississippi River reported that the water flow there was reversed for several hours.

The area is still seismically active and scientists believe that another strong earthquake will affect the area again at some point in the future. Unfortunately, the science is not mature enough to know whether this threat will arrive next week or in 50 years. Either way, given the large population of the New Madrid seismic zone compared to the sparsely populated area in the early 19th century, and the tens of millions living in an area that would experience large earthquakes, there could be significant loss of life and property when a large earthquake strikes. Post here again in the future.

Outside the New Madrid seismograph, there was an earthquake in central Kentucky last week. On April 28 at 2:36 am, a magnitude 2.2 earthquake struck near Jonesville, Kentucky. As with last night’s earthquake, there were no reports of damage or injuries.

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