Small Earthquake Rattles North Carolina, 2 Other States

Could a huge, killer earthquake strike in the American heartland? If history is our best teacher then the answer is, “yes.” The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes (centered in Southeast Missouri) rank as some of North America’s most catastrophic natural disasters, and many experts fear such an event could happen again. Lurking beneath the Mississippi River basin is a system of earthquake faults stretching more than 160 miles; loaded and ready to erupt with a force greater than a million atomic bombs.

There are 11 million people living in the disaster zone. Large cities in the region that would suffer major damage in a large quake include St. Louis, Mo and Memphis, Tennessee. Widespread panic would likely follow the initial seismic wave since it will be felt over a million square miles in the mid section of the country. Tall buildings and vital bridges that have never been tested would be subjected to several minutes of severe ground shaking.

And it has all happened before. Pioneer residents of the community of New Madrid, Missouri were thrown from their beds in the early morning hours of December 16, 1811 when an estimated 8-point earthquake rumbled through their community. But this wasn’t just one event. Multiple shocks were experienced over the next three months. The largest shock on February 7, 1812 disturbed the Mississippi river bed and caused the river to flow backwards.

No earthquake sequence in history has lasted so long, produced so many shocks, nor created such astonishing phenomena on land and water. New lakes, waterfalls, rivers running backward, whole towns disappearing, and thousands of square miles of land put to ruin.

The New Madrid fault remains a seismically active area today and scientists believe that a repeat of these same events is imminent. The only question is – when?

[link to www.historyasia.com]

Last Edited by just waiting on 08/01/2009 06:49 PM

Is the new madrid fault close to where this happened? I am not sure how it runs. I know its by the Mississippi river but from there I am not sure...

In a straight line about 150 miles I say its close.

This could be the begining!
The zone had four of the largest North American earthquakes in recorded history, with moment magnitudes estimated to be greater than 7.0, all occurring within a 3 month period between December of 1811 and February of 1812. Many of the published accounts describe the cumulative effects of all the earthquakes (known as the New Madrid Sequence); thus finding the individual effects of each quake can be difficult. Magnitude estimates and epicenters are based on interpretations of historical accounts and may vary.
[link to en.wikipedia.org]