An earthquake rocks Kentucky today, one day after the Missouri earthquake

Today’s earthquake is in western Kentucky (the epicenter is shown in red asterisk) not far from the heart of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Photo: USGS

Just a day after a southeastern Missouri earthquake hit the heart of the New Madrid seismic zone, a new earthquake soon struck in western Kentucky, not far from the border with Illinois and Indiana. According to the USGS, today’s relatively weak earthquake was recorded as a magnitude 2.6 event, about 4 miles southwest of Dixon, Kentucky. While people reported that they felt the shaking to the USGS, there were no widespread reports and there was no damage. The earthquake that struck at 7:59 am this morning was at a depth of 18.1 km.

The epicenter of today’s earthquake is at the point of the concentric circles on this map. Photo: USGS

The earthquake occurred not far from the areas that have been hit by other earthquakes in recent days. Just yesterday, an earthquake hit the Mississippi River in southeastern Missouri. And on Wednesday, a couple of earthquakes struck nearby as well; One was in Arkansas and the other in Tennessee. On August 26, another earthquake struck Tennessee while another earthquake the previous day’s 25th struck nearby Missouri.

These earthquakes occur in and around an area known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with abundant seismic activity – and a catastrophic past. In 1811 and 1812, large earthquakes struck the area around New Madrid County in Missouri.

On December 16, 1812, the three major earthquakes that struck the United States during the winter of 1811-1812 arrived, a violent period in the region’s seismic history that scientists say will repeat again.

While the West Coast of the United States is well known for its seismic faults and strong earthquakes, not many are aware that one of the largest earthquakes to 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 shook northeastern Arkansas in what is now the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The earthquake was felt across much of the eastern United States, with people shaking from their bed in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina. The ground shook for an incredible 1-3 minutes in hard-hit areas, such as Nashville, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky. The ground movements were very violent near the epicenter, resulting in liquefaction of the ground, throwing dirt and water into the air by tens of feet. The quake was felt in the White House by President James Madison and his wife, Dolly, while church bells rang out in Boston due to the shaking there.

Comparison of the extent of damage between an average earthquake in the New Madrid region (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

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 6000–10,000 earthquakes located in Bothell, Missouri where the New Madde Seismic Zone is centered.

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

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 not able to capture the full scale of what actually happened. In addition to vibrations, earthquakes were also responsible for creating unusual natural phenomena in the region: seismic lights, seismic hot water, and seismic smog.

Residents of the Mississippi Valley reported seeing lights flashing from the ground. Scientists believe that this phenomenon was “seismic luminescence.” This light is generated when quartz crystals are compressed into the ground. Earthquake Lights were triggered during initial earthquakes and strong aftershocks.

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 question of if but when. Photo: USGS

The water flowing in the air from the land, or the nearby Mississippi River, was also unusually warm. Scientists speculate that the intense vibration and resulting 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 light emitted also helped heat the water.

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

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

The area is still seismically active and scientists believe 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 who live in an area that would experience major earthquakes, there can be significant loss of life and property when a major earthquake strikes. Post here again in the future.

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