Sunday, December 16, 2012

One Year Later

Even a year after the New Madrid earthquakes occurred there was seismic activity near the epicenter.  Long after the earthquakes faded from the newspapers across the country reports were received that detailed how the area still experienced aftershocks that troubled the local residents. Here is one of those accounts from Kaskaskia, Illinois. Kaskaskia was an old town by the time of the New Madrid earthquakes that was across the river from St. Genevieve Missouri.  It suffered damage from the earthquakes and was well aware of the disaster that befell New Madrid.  Here is that account:
You can find other accounts of the earthquakes and their effects at the  New Madrid Compendium

Monday, November 12, 2012

My Old Kentucky Earthquake

On Saturday November 10th at 11:09 central time an earthquake occurred in Eastern Kentucky.  It was felt over a wide area and caused some minor damage near the epicenter.  I had contact with a cousin in Abingdon Virginia which was about 40 miles to the east who described it as " a sharp shock." Its just a reminder that earthquakes are possible anywhere in the Eastern United States. Due to their infrequency one of the methods to find where they can occur is by researching  the historic record to find evidence of previous seismic activity.
Here are some links to coverage of the earthquake
First United States Geological Survey
Local news coverage
Kingsport Times

Read and enjoy!

Monday, October 29, 2012

A Local Earthquake

This morning the New Madrid seismic zone provided a reminder that it is still a going concern,  At 7:39 am a 3.9 MMI earthquake occurred near Parkin, Arkansas and 39 miles west of Memphis.  For further details Arkansas earthquake for further information.  It was felt at Memphis and the surrounding area.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

CERI on Facebook

Adding to the sidebar is a link to the CERI Facebook page.  There you can get the latest information on what is going on among the students, faculty and staff here and other topical information. Read and enjoy.

The Great Quake of 68

In 1968 there was an earthquake in the Central United States that shook the entire region. It happened November 9, 1968 and was felt in several states in the region.  In honor of the 45th anniversary of the event the USGS has put up a page on the earthquake where you can view information on it and contribute by putting in a felt report.  November 9, 1968 earthquake

Thursday, September 20, 2012

On the Banks of the Mississippi

A couple of weeks ago Scott Aussbrooks of the Arkansas Geological Survey and myself took advantage of the unprecedented low water level of the Mississippi River to observe portions of the river bank that are seldom visible.  We traveled to New Madrid to look at the riverbanks at New Madrid and see if the river had uncovered any obvious evidence of the New Madrid earthquakes from 200 years ago.  Last year the river had approached record high levels and  the possibility existed that during the flood it would uncover items of interest on the riverbank in the area.

Scott Aussbrooks at St John's Bayou

We spent the day at the riverbank roaming from end to end looking for to see what the rivebanks could tell us about events of 200 years ago.  One problem we did not forsee was that the undergrowth had taken advantage of the low water and grown in sections of the bank we wanted to observe. (see the above picture) The compensation was the low water did reveal riverbank that is normally submerged.  But still it was a rare chance to see terrain that is rarely not under water and productive for all concerned in gaining more knowledge of the catyclismic events of 200 years ago.

A visit with Kentucky Educational Television

A week ago I was privileged  to work with a video crew from Kentucky Educational Television.  The were working on a New Madrid related documentary in conjunction with the series Kentucky Life.  I and the host Dave Shuffet discussed the history of the New Madrid earthquakes and toured the New Madrid region to see where they occurred.  In addition the show's co host and mascot Toby the golden retriever accompanied us to several locations.  I was told that Toby has a following equal to the host and that many viewers watch the show just to see him.  It was a good trip to the area and an opportunity to visit the New Madrid area again.  Be sure to tune in to KET-TV on November 17, 2012 to see the show.


Toby the Golden Retriever.

Kent Moran and the KET crew on location.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

History and Arch Johnston

Although this blog is about New Madrid history, occasionally other events of note will intrude into the blog.  One of these is the retirement of the noted New Madrid researcher Arch Johnston.  Arch was instrumental in helping to found the Center for Earthquake Research and Information in the 1970's.  He pioneered the use of historic research to rescue  the New Madrid earthquakes from the obscurity they had been residing for over a hundred years.  Although he is retiring from CERI he is not retiring from working on the New Madrid earthquakes.  Too many questions remain unanswered and he will remain on the hunt for the answers to them.

The Fall of Memphis( or the hidden earthquake)

     The geography of the Mississippi River Valley helped to influence the settlement and then the development of transportation in the region. During the American Civil war the area became pivotal in the efforts of the United States government to reassert control over the rebellious South.  The Confederacy had erected as series of defensive positions along the river starting at Island No. 10 near New Madrid and then followed by Fort Pillow, and finally the city of Memphis.  As the Union naval fleet advanced each one of the positions fell to the armada that was assembled to retake the river and return it to Federal control.
     The culminating battle to control the section of the river from the mouth of the Ohio to Vicksburg( the Confederate fortress town that would fall on July 4th 1863) occurred on the Mississippi river at Memphis on June 6, 1862.  There a Union flotilla of ironclads and steamboats converted to rams(boats that would ram to sink another boat) encountered a Confederate defensive fleet of improvised gunboats, some armored with compressed cotton bales to absorb cannon shot.  In the midst of the climatic battle a concussion was felt on shore that observers thought was the explosion of the powder magazine of one of the Confederate steamers.  In fact it was an earthquake that happened coincidentally with the battle.  This quake was felt in the middle Mississippi valley with reports noted as far north as Cairo, Illinois.
      It is not a well known quake as people were more focused on the war than on natural phenomena at the time.  In fact earthquake reporting during the war fell off, probably due to the fact that cannon fire and explosions would mask the shocks of earthquakes and people were too distracted by the war to try and discern the difference.

After the quakes

Although the main New Madrid earthquake ceased in February 1812 aftershocks continued throughout the year.  Correspondents from New Madrid noted the continuous shaking of the ground and that by the end of the year they had experienced several thousand shocks( quakes)  this pattern would continue for years thereafter to the point that the local inhabitants became indifferent to them and ignored them as just a part of daily life.  As time passed the earthquakes would recede into myth and legend.  The blog will continue to  highlight New Madrid earthquake history and other historical earthquakes in the region as time permits.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

A New Madrid Reminder



This morning at 3:58 local time an earthquake occurred in the New Madrid seismic zone with the magnitude of 4.  The quake was felt across a several state region and acted as an reminder that the New Madrid zone is still active and can produce earthquakes that can be felt and larger ones that can cause damage.  Ironically it occurred  a week after the 200th anniversary of the February 7, 1812 New Madrid earthquake.  For further information visit theCERI website for information and updates as they occur.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Greatest Quake of All


Two hundred years ago today the greatest of the New Madrid earthquakes occurred. The epicenter of the quake was at New Madrid, Missouri where eyewitnesses left vivid descriptions of the fury of nature that they witnessed.  Unique among them was Eliza Bryan(or Bryant) who was the only woman to leave an account of what occurred.  She was a resident of the town and would remain after the destruction of the quake and continue to live there until dying there after the Civil War.  For her description of the quake visit http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/compendium/ and press the button for eyewitness accounts, then read her biography and click on her name for the account.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Second Great Quake


On this day 200 years ago the second of the great New Madrid earthquakes occurred.  It was later in the morning than the one on December 16, 1811 but it still was felt across vast distances.  Although there were many reports across the Unites States describing the experience there were none from the area near the epicenter of the quake itself,  this lack of eyewitness’s stems from several possible reasons.  First the observers of the first quake may have left the area.  Accounts from Little Prairie tell of residents fleeing the town after the quake.  Observers who experienced the quake on the river continued their journey to the south and out of the New Madrid region.  Another factor with all the aftershocks from the December 16, 1811 earthquakes observers near the epicenter would not have noted the January 23rd quake as being different from all the others they were experiencing.
Where the quake was noticed the effect were quite dramatic.  At Annapolis, Maryland skaters on the river fled in terror to the shore as the ice cracked beneath their feet.   At Charleston South Carolina it was described as a shock that was felt for a minute and cracked pavement in a few places.  In Cincinnati the effect was to shake buildings to the point they made noise and to vibrate lightening rods on roofs to the point that it was noticeable.
For more reports of the earthquake please visit New Madrid Compendium

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Andrew Jackson and the Earthquakes.


One of the topics I mentioned covering was the reaction of famous Americans to the earthquakes. One of those people was Andrew Jackson.  Here is a podcast I did with James Yasko, Director of Education at the Hermitage(Andrew Jackson's home) at Nashville.  Listen and Enjoy.

Here is the link;