Re:Current Earthquake--Mitch the Mooch

March 7, 2008

Hmmm---but not exactly a 'health' issue---Mitch is all of a sudden on pretty much every list I'm on---no matter what the topic----hmmmmm..........y'all pay into the baby fund' yet? Celtic Valkyrie <celticvalkyrie49 wrote: Here is some information I found online:Missouri Earthquake History:Most of Missouri's earthquake activity has beenconcentrated in the southeast corner of the State,which lies within the New Madrid seismic zone. The written record of earthquakes in Missouri prior

tothe nineteenth century is virtually nonexistent;however, there is a geologic evidence that the NewMadrid seismic zone has had a long history ofactivity. The first written account of an earthquakein the region was by a French missionary on a voyagedown the Mississippi River. He reported feeling adistinct tremor on Christmas Day 1699 while camped inthe area of what is now Memphis, Tennessee. Whatever the seismic history of the region may havebeen before the first Europeans arrived, afterDecember 16, 1811, there could be no doubt about thearea's potential to generate severe earthquakes. Onthat date, shortly after 2 AM, the first tremor of themost violent series of earthquakes in the UnitedStates history struck southeast Missouri. In the smalltown of New Madrid, about 290 kilometers south of St.Louis, residents were aroused from their sleep by therocking of their cabins, the cracking of timbers,

theclatter of breaking dishes and tumbling furniture, therattling of falling chimneys, and the crashing offalling trees. A terrifying roaring noise was createdas the earthquake waves swept across the ground. Largefissures suddenly opened and swallowed largequantities of river and marsh water. As the fissuresclosed again, great volumes of mud and sand wereejected along with the water. The earthquake generated great waves on theMississippi River that overwhelmed many boats andwashed others high upon the shore. The waves broke offthousands of trees and carried them into the river.High river banks caved in, sand bars gave way, andentire islands disappeared. The violence of theearthquake was manifested by great topographic changesthat affected an area of 78,000 to 130,000 squarekilometers. On January 23, 1812, a second major shock, seeminglymore violent than the first, occurred. A third

greatearthquake, perhaps the most severe of the series,struck on February 7, 1812. The three main shocks probably reached intensity XII,the maximum on the Modified Mercalli scale, althoughit is difficult to assign intensities, due to thescarcity of settlements at the time. Aftershockscontinued to be felt for several years after theinitial tremor. Later evidence indicates that theepicenter of the first earthquake (December 16, 1811)was probably in northeast Arkansas. Based onhistorical accounts, the epicenter of the February 7,1812, shocks was probably close to the town of NewMadrid. Although the death toll from the 1811-12 series ofearthquakes has never been tabulated, the loss of lifewas very slight. It is likely that if at the time ofthe earthquakes the New Madrid area had been asheavily populated as at present, thousands of personswould have perished. The main shocks were felt over

anarea covering at least 5,180,000 square kilometers.Chimneys were knocked down in Cincinnati, Ohio, andbricks were reported to have fallen from chimneys inGeorgia and South Carolina. The first shock was feltdistinctly in Washington, D.C., 700 miles away, andpeople there were frightened badly. Other points thatreported feeling this earthquake included New Orleans,804 kilometers away; Detroit, 965 kilometers away; andBoston, 1,769 kilometers away. The New Madrid seismic zone has experienced numerousearthquakes since the 1811-12 series, and at least 35shocks of intensity V or greater have been recorded inMissouri since 1811. Numerous earthquakes originatingoutside of the State's boundaries have also affectedMissouri. Five of the strongest earthquakes that haveaffected Missouri since the 1811-12 series aredescribed below. On January 4, 1843, a severe earthquake in the NewMadrid area cracked

chimneys and walls at Memphis,Tennessee. One building reportedly collapsed. Theearth sank at some places near New Madrid; there wasan unverified report that two hunters were drownedduring the formation of a lake. The total felt areaincluded at least 1,036,000 square kilometers. The October 31, 1895, earthquake near Charleston,Missouri, probably ranks second in intensity to the1811-12 series. Every building in the commercial areaof Charleston was damaged. Cairo, Illinois, andMemphis, Tennessee, also suffered significant damage.Near Charleston, 4 acres of ground sank and a lake wasformed. The shock was felt over all or portions of 23states and at some places in Canada. A moderate earthquake on April 9, 1917, in the Ste.Genevieve - St. Marys area was reportedly felt over a518,000 square kilometer area from Kansas to Ohio andWisconsin to Mississippi. In the epicentral areapeople ran into the

street, windows were broken, andplaster cracked. A second shock of lesser intensitywas felt in the southern part of the area. The small railroad town of Rodney, Missouri,experienced a strong earthquake on August 19, 1934. Atnearby Charleston, windows were broken, chimneys wereoverthrown or damaged, and articles were knocked fromshelves. Similar effects were observed at Cairo,Mounds and Mound City, Illinois, and at Wickliff,Kentucky. The area of destructive intensity includedmore than 596 square kilometers. The November 9, 1968, earthquake centered in southernIllinois was the strongest in the central UnitedStates since 1895. The magnitude 5.5 shock causedmoderate damage to chimneys and walls at Hermann, St.Charles, St. Louis, and Sikeston, Missouri. The feltareas include all or portions of 23 states.

________Never miss a thing. Make your home page. http://www./r/hs

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.

March 7, 2008

Perhaps "someone" sent it to the wrong list??

Confusion is a symptom ...............

-

Bea Bernhausen

Saturday, March 08, 2008 5:25 AM

Re: Re:Current Earthquake--Mitch the Mooch

Hmmm---but not exactly a 'health' issue---Mitch is all of a sudden on pretty much every list I'm on---no matter what the topic----hmmmmm..........y'all pay into the

baby fund' yet? Celtic Valkyrie <celticvalkyrie49 wrote:

Here is some information I found online:Missouri Earthquake History:

March 7, 2008

Yes and I know who that someone is...Jane MacRoss <highfield1 wrote: Perhaps "someone" sent it to the wrong list?? Confusion is a symptom ............... - Bea Bernhausen Saturday, March 08, 2008 5:25 AM Re: Re:Current Earthquake--Mitch the Mooch Hmmm---but not exactly a 'health' issue---Mitch is all of a sudden on pretty much every list I'm on---no matter what the topic----hmmmmm..........y'all pay into the baby fund' yet? Celtic Valkyrie <celticvalkyrie49 > wrote: Here is

some information I found online:Missouri Earthquake History:

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.