Study ties historic New Madrid quake to Ilinois fault, not New Madrid Fault

Study ties historic New Madrid quake to Ill. fault

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Posted: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 11:39 am

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - New research by U.S. Geological Survey scientists is casting doubt on the long-held idea that the New Madrid fault zone in Missouri's Bootheel unleashed a series of devastating earthquakes in 1811 and 1812.

In a new study, the researchers say the Wabash Valley Fault line that runs through southern Illinois may have been responsible, and that immediate and intense study of the fault's quake potential is needed.

``What is puzzling is that when we measure the long-term rate of motion along the New Madrid Fault, it's almost zero,'' said Douglas Wiens, a professor and of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. ``How to interpret that is a big discussion among scientists. Some even suggest the recent quakes along the New Madrid Fault Zone are nothing more than aftershocks of the 1811-1812 events.''

Scientists note that there hasn't been a magnitude 6.0 earthquake on the New Madrid Fault in more than a century, the Evansville Courier & Press reports. But in the last 20 years, there have been at least three magnitude 5.0 or greater tremors along the Wabash Valley Fault, including a magnitude 5.2 quake in 2008 that was felt as far away as Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa and Atlanta....

http://www.thesouthern.com/article_1d1eeb62-731d-11df-804c-001cc4c002e0.html

I grew up in deep Southern Illinois and this has been the subject of debate for many years, especially with the number of 'quakes that occur in Southern Illinois vs. SE Missouri and NW Arkansas.

;)

jk

Someone needs their but kicked for this. Who will we blame, when the next earthquake hits?

I know science is a dirty word in some circles, but it would be nice to know where the next earthquake will occur. Which volcano will blow up next. Where the next hurricane will make landfall.

I understand it's minutia, but the devil is in the details.

Obtuse satire, like 'who's on first?'

Everyone was wondering how we could feel an earthquake that originated in MO. So maybe that one was from this fault they are talking about. It shook the bed and rattled the dishes in the cabinet in the dining room. Scared me to death.

It would do a whole hell of a lot more than just mess up Illinois or Missouri. Because the earth is not as fluid in the Midwest and the buildings are generally not built to be earthquake-proof, the damage would be both more widespread and massive.

Edited to add: when I say "California-style magnitude," I mean a BIG one. A "big one" would be worse in the Midwest than in California in terms of widespread damage done.

I've read studies that say a 7.0 centered in western Kentucky, west Tennessee or southern Illinois could and likely would cause massive damage and death as far away as Cincinnati, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Little Rock and Jackson MS: that is a HUGE area, folks!

:scared:

Thanks for posting this.

I remember as kids all the stories about the New Madrid fault. no one mentioned the one running just across the river. Interesting.

He was not well-educated but was very intelligent and well-read. He was the first person I ever knew to mention this as a possibility. Of course, being a wildcatter, he knew a ton about the various geological formations in a fairly wide area.