Is Illinois on an earthquake fault line?
They say that the 7.0 magnitude quake that shook California would have a devastating impact on the state. Illinois is flanked on its western and eastern borders by two active seismic zones: the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. The New Madrid fault zone is very active.
What did the earthquakes in 1811 1812 do?
The quakes cause extensive changes to the region’s topography. Subsidence, uplift, fissures, landslides and riverbank collapses were common. Trees were uprooted by the intense shaking; others were drowned when subsided land was flooded.
What kind of fault caused the New Madrid earthquake?
The Reelfoot rift is identified today as a subsurface system of fractures and faults in the earth’s crust. New Madrid seismicity is spatially associated with the Reelfoot rift and may be produced by movement on old faults in response to compressive stress related to plate motions.
Which town was hit the hardest during the 1811 earthquake?
It hit the area of Caruthersville, Missouri the hardest, even though the epicenter was slightly south in northeastern Arkansas. It was so strong that slight shaking from it was felt all across the eastern United States to the east coast.
What is the closest fault line to Illinois?
The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) is a 150-mile long fault zone spanning four states in the Midwestern United States (see Figure 1). The NMSZ lies within the central Mississippi Valley, extending from northeast Arkansas, through southeast Missouri, western Tennessee, and western Kentucky to southern Illinois.
When was the last big earthquake in Illinois?
Earthquakes
| Date | Area | Epicenter |
|---|---|---|
| April 18, 2008 | Wabash County | 38.45°N 87.89°W |
| June 10, 1987 | Richland County | 38.713°N 87.954°W |
| September 15, 1972 | Lee County | 41.645°N 89.369°W |
| November 9, 1968 | Hamilton County | 37.95°N 88.48°W |
What is the biggest earthquake in Illinois?
The 1968 Illinois earthquake (a New Madrid event) was the largest recorded earthquake in the U.S. Midwestern state of Illinois. Striking at 11:02 am on November 9, it measured 5.4 on the Richter scale.
How long did the Mississippi river flow backwards in 1812?
On February 7, 1812, the most violent of a series of earthquakes near Missouri causes a so-called fluvial tsunami in the Mississippi River, actually making the river run backward for several hours.
What is the strongest earthquake that has occurred in Illinois?
magnitude 5.4
The largest Illinois quake ever recorded occurred on November 9, 1968, and measured magnitude 5.4 on the Richter scale.
Has Chicago ever had an earthquake?
On June 10, 1987 a 5.1 tremor, centered near downstate Lawrenceville, was felt in the Chicago area and caused noticeable shaking to many Chicago high rises. One of Chicago’s most noticeable quakes took place on November 9, 1968 when a 5.4 magnitude event occurred, centered on the New Madrid fault east of St.
What would happen if the New Madrid fault line went off?
Nearly 200 schools and over 100 fire stations would be damaged; 37 hospitals and 67 police stations would be inoperable the day after the earthquake in the state of Missouri. Thousands of bridges would collapse and railways would be destroyed, paralyzing travel across southeast Missouri.
Was Reelfoot Lake created by an earthquake?
Reelfoot Lake, shallow lake on the boundary between Lake and Obion counties in northwestern Tennessee, U.S., near Tiptonville. It was formed by the earthquakes that occurred along the New Madrid Fault in the winter of 1811–12.
Did Chicago ever had an earthquake?
Does Chicago have a fault line?
This region consists of two main areas, the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. These zones – or areas that are prone to earthquakes from one fault ‐ include many geologic faults that are capable of producing earthquakes.
Where is the biggest fault line in the United States?
The New Madrid Seismic Zone (/ˈmædrɪd/), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes (earthquakes within a tectonic plate) in the Southern and Midwestern United States, stretching to the southwest from New Madrid, Missouri.
Did the Ohio River flow backwards?
The first shock, estimated now at a magnitude of 7.5 to 7.9, struck New Madrid, Missouri, in the early hours of Dec. 11, 1811, and a second at 8 a.m. Settlements along the Mississippi were destroyed, people died, the river was said to run backwards and bells rang in Boston.