Dbq New Madrid Earthquake

Report Name

On December 16, 1811, at roughly 2:15 a.m., the most powerful earthquake ever to hit the eastern United States struck Northeast Arkansas. Clocking in at a presumed 8.0 on the richter scale, the first of three major earthquakes form the New Madrid fault made itself known. This quake, and the two subsequent quakes following shortly after, caused some of the most intense damage and events ever recorded in U.S. history. The quakes were felt in Montreal, Boston, and even the White House. Events such as soil liquefaction and reversal in the flow of the Mississippi river are just a few of many glimpses into the absolute power of earthquakes. In this exploratory paper, I will review the three main quakes, along with their aftermath both

It is not foreign for the New Madrid zone to quake. Geologist Martitia Tuttle, who has been investigating the faults says “Some had archaeological sites on top of them with 2,000-year-old artifacts,” Tuttle goes on to say. “There’s no way the New Madrid earthquakes were a one-time freak event.” The Midwest had been slammed by violent quakes around A.D. 1450 and 900 and 2350 B.C.—and probably more often (Rusch). Over the past 4,500 years, the region was most likely visited by multiple quakes of 7.0 or more. Big groups of earthquakes have been discovered, dating back to ancient times.There have been more quakes to hit this region after the 1811-12 disaster, one hit Lepanto, Arkansas, in January 5 of 1843. Another 6.7 quake shook Charleston, Missouri, in October of 1895. So, why are such earthquakes hitting so far from a tectonic plate boundary? Why are they so powerful? Their power comes from the material around the New Madrid zone. The materials in the earth are not accustomed to such shakes, and therefore the rock is not equipped to absorb the shocks of the earthquakes. This is why they were felt in such a wide range of areas. Many theories have been put forth as to what actually sparked these earthquakes in this zone, but none have been fully accepted as true. It has been put forth that a hot spot under the area is to blame, because it is melting the earth’s crust in

on December 16, 1811. This central quake that started off in the early morning was reportedly due to "slippage along the Cottonwood Grove Fault in northeastern Arkansas."(Rafferty). Though it is stated that it arose in Northeastern Arkansas, eyewitness accounts state that it woke up citizens in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and South Carolina. Throughout the next two days, aftershocks registering as high 7.0 rocked the land. Damage to civilian structures was minimal, due to the lack of population in these areas. Instances of damage were reported though, such as "collapsing chimneys, falling trees, and cracking timbers in houses"( Rafferty). While a few areas got raised, a number of regions fell into the earth. Water filled newly opened fissures, mainly from nearby wetlands, while areas not near wetlands were whetted by waters from the mighty Mississippi. Soil liquefaction was not left out in this mighty demonstration of geologic power, as it "caused large sand blows that fouled farmland in Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas."(Rafferty). Eyewitnesses say that trees along the Mississippi River fell in and were swept away, mainly because of loosened soil. Boats were thrown onto the land and swept under by the roaring, disturbed waters. The earthquake even erased an entire lake from existence. Uplift of over 3 meters was reported at one locality several hundred kilometers to the southwest of the epicentral zone where a lake formed by