Why did the New Madrid earthquake happen?

The main shock that occurred at 2:15 am on December 16, 1811, was a result of slippage along the Cottonwood Grove Fault in northeastern Arkansas. It was followed by at least three large aftershocks with magnitudes that ranged from 6.0 to 7.0 over the course of the next 48 hours.

What happened in the New Madrid earthquake?

At 2:15 a.m. on December 16, 1811, residents of the frontier town of New Madrid, in what is now Missouri, were jolted from their beds by a violent earthquake. The ground heaved and pitched, hurling furniture, snapping trees and destroying barns and homesteads.

What are the scenarios during an earthquake?

The scenario earthquake causes hundreds of breaks in water mains and service connections, loss of power, loss of some of the water transmission systems, and storage tank failures. Rockfalls damage transmission lines, and surface faulting and liquefaction damage distribution lines.

What is the New Madrid Fault famous for?

One of the most prominent features on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Seismic Hazard map is the red high hazard zone surrounding the New Madrid Seismic Zone; as high as other western areas famous for quake activity.

What is the Reelfoot Rift?

The Reelfoot rift consists of two major basins, separated by an intrarift uplift, that are further subdivided into eight subbasins bound by northeast- and southeast-striking rift faults. The rift is bound to the south by the White River fault zone and to the north by the Reelfoot normal fault.

On what date did the New Madrid earthquake start?

December 16, 1811
1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes/Start dates

Should you run outside during an earthquake?

DO NOT run outside or to other rooms during an earthquake. You are less likely to be injured if you stay where you are. To reduce your chances of being hurt, take the following actions: Broken glass on the floor can cause injuries if you walk or roll onto the floor.

When was the last major earthquake on the New Madrid fault?

The last strong earthquake (magnitude 6.7) in the NMSZ occurred near Charleston, Missouri on Oct. 31, 1895. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake near Lepanto, Arkansas on Jan.

What kind of fault is New Madrid?

The New Madrid seismic zone of the central Mississippi River valley has been interpreted to be a right-lateral strike-slip fault zone with a left stepover restraining bend (Reelfoot reverse fault).

What is the earthquake scenario for New Madrid?

The NMSZ earthquake scenario is a magnitude 7.7 (Richter scale) earthquake caused by a simultaneous rupture over the entire length of three separate segments in the NMSZ impacting an eight-state region. HAZUS was used to estimate losses in the eight impacted states, in support of the multi-year New Madrid Catastrophic Planning Initiative.

Where was the epicenter of the 1812 New Madrid earthquake?

Although most of Tiptonville dome formed between 200 and 2,000 years ago, additional uplifting deformed the northwest and southeast parts of the dome during the earthquakes of 1811-1812. This powerful earthquake was felt widely over the entire eastern United States.

How much damage would a New Madrid earthquake do in Tennessee?

The scenario earthquake would cause at least moderate or severe damage to over 265,000 buildings in Tennessee alone, including nearly 50,000 unreinforced masonry structures. In the aftermath of this event, there will be limited medical, firefighting, and law enforcement services in the most impacted states in the NMSZ.

How did the New Madrid earthquake affect the Mississippi River?

In the New Madrid region, the earthquakes dramatically affected the landscape. They caused bank failures along the Mississippi River, landslides along Chickasaw Bluffs in Kentucky and Tennessee, and uplift and subsidence of large tracts of land in the Mississippi River floodplain.