Tuesday, December 16, 2014

205th New Madrid Anniversary( A Bell Ringing Event)

205 years ago the first of the New Madrid earthquakes occurred. Here is an account of one of the more dramatic effects of the first quake:


The  first of the New Madrid earthquakes occurred on December 16, 1811.  This quake was felt across a wide swath of the United States and was felt on the Atlantic Coast. One of the locations that noted the earthquakes was Charleston South Carolina.  Charleston at the time of the event was the fifth largest city in the United States in 1810 with a population of  24, 711.[1]  It was a center of culture with several newspapers like the Times and the Charleston Courier.  These newspapers would provide a vital source of information for accounts of what was experienced  when the earthquake shook the city.  These accounts give in great detail the effects of the December 16, 1811 earthquake in the far field.
The Month of December 1811 was remarkable in that the Comet of 1811 was visible in the sky of Charleston throughout the month. [2]The night of  December 15-16 in Charleston was clear with a light wind and some clouds to the northwest of the city.[3] Another observer noted that “For an hour previous the air was  perfectly calm and several stars visible.”[4]
The onset of the earthquake was announced by a sound resembling the “rattling of a carriage on pavement.”[5]  The time noted for the first quake was “5 minutes before 3:00 am.  As the earthquake continued shaking the city a most dramatic effect was noted .” The vibration was so great as to set the house bells and the bell of St. Phillip’s Church ringing, and the furniture in motion some of which in several houses was thrown down.  The pendlums of house clocks stopped, and in some house the glasses in the pictures which were hanging against the wall were broken”” The effect on people was dramatic with individuals experiencing nausea from the motion of the earthquake.  The duration of the first quake was noted as being a minute and a half. [6] Another account notes that the bell ringing at St. Phillips was the clock bell. [7]
Aftershocks soon followed with one occurring at “as the clocks were chiming 3” of twenty seconds duration and slighter than the first  were felt  and third and fourth were felt around 8 oclock and of a very brief duration. With the third one being described as severe. [8]  Another curious  effects noted was the water in wells being agitated. It  was unknown at the time how widespread the earthquake was felt but it was noted to be felt at Rantoule’s in the local area.[9] Another quake was felt that evening at 11pm and again on December 17th at 9:20 am and on the 20th a final quake for the month was felt at 3 minutes before 12. ”[10]

The earthquakes caused speculation as to their cause with publication of a catalog of previous earthquakes to give the citizens of Charleston some perspective. Slight earthquakes were noted in September 1754. April 1799 and the last in January 1811 that was felt  in the region but not at Charleston.  [11]


[1] U. S. Census Data from website  1810 Fast Facts
[2] “Meteorological Oobservations at Charleston(S. C.) for December 1811”. Charleston Courier, January 8, 1812, Page 3. Column 2, New Madrid Far Field Number 308.
[3] Extract of a Letter..” Charleston, The Times, December 18, 1811 Page 3, Column 1, New Madrid Far Field Number 95
[4] “An Earthquake” Lexington KY, Reporter January 11, 1812, Page 3, Column 1. New Madrid Far Field Number 258
[5] “Meteorological Observations at Charleston(S. C.) for December 1811”. Charleston Courier, January 8, 1812, Page 3. Column 2, New Madrid Far Field Number 308.
[6] “An Earthquake” The Times, Charleston South Carolina, December 16, 1811, page 3, Column 1, New Madrid Far Field Number 92.
[7] “An Earthquake” The Times, Charleston South Carolina, December 16, 1811, page 3, Column 1, New Madrid Far Field Number 92.
[8] “Earthquake,” Charleston Courier, December 17, 1811, Page 3, column 1, New Madrid Far Field Number 79.
[9] “An Earthquake” The Times, Charleston South Carolina, December 16, 1811, page 3, Column 1, New Madrid Far Field Number 92.
[10] “Meteorological Observations at Charleston(S. C.) for December 1811”. Charleston Courier, January 8, 1812, Page 3. Column 2, New Madrid Far Field Number 308.
[11] “An Earthquake” The Times, Charleston South Carolina, December 16, 1811, page 3, Column 1, New Madrid Far Field Number 92.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Another Small Earthquake

It seems the New Madrid seismic zone is reminding us its still busy. Last night there was a 2.3 magnitude quake near New Madrid.  It was strong enough that some of the people in the vicinity of the epicenter would have felt it. For more information look here at New Madrid earthquake.