Illinois Geological Hazards
explanatory Essay
777 words
The state of Illinois is at risk from two major seismic zones, the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. The New Marid Seismic Zone is located in the Central Mississippi Valley and includes portions of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Wabash Valley Zone is located between southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana.
The earliest report of an earthquake in Illinois is in the year of 1795 at Kaskaskia. This particular phenomenon only lasted for a minute and a half. Subterranean noises were heard and it was also felt as far as Kentucky. Due to the thin frontier population, an accurate location is not possible and the shock may have originated outside the State. Among the largest earthquakes occurring in Illinois was the May 26, 1909, a vibration which knocked over many chimneys in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago. It was felt over 500 thousand square miles and strongly felt in Iowa and Wisconsin. Buildings flexed in Chicago where there was fear that the walls would collapse.
Less than two months later a second intensity VII earthquake struck on July 18, knocking down chimneys in Petersburg, Illinois, and at Hannibal, Missouri, and Davenport, Iowa. Over twenty windows were broken, bricks loosened and plaster cracked in the Petersburg area. It was felt over only 40,000 square miles.
Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has mapped out areas and earthquake zones of Illinois. The most dangerous zones are located in the southern part of the state. IEMA has also made available online several prepare guides and checklists for disasters. The state also has a READY Illinois initiative to help with the outreach of disaster planning. Illinois' Ready to...
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... mitigation strategies. Analysis of several landslides within the New Madrid Seismic Zone indicated that the landslides were stable, but failure is possible during an earthquake of the magnitude experienced in 1812.
Works Cited
"IEMA Links." Illinois Disaster Recovery Plan (IDRP). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. .
"IEMA Links." Welcome to IEMA. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. .
"Illinois State Geological Survey." Earthquakes. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. .
Puchner, Martin. The Norton anthology of world literature. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2012. Print.
"The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut - Get Ready!." The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut - Get Ready!. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that illinois is at risk from two major seismic zones, the new madrid seismic zone, and the wabash valley zone.
- Explains that the earliest report of an earthquake in illinois is in the year of 1795 at kaskaskia. subterranean noises were heard and it was also felt as far as kentucky.
- Describes how a second intensity vii earthquake knocked down chimneys in petersburg, illinois, hannibal, missouri, and davenport, iowa.
- Explains that the illinois emergency management agency (iema) has mapped out areas and earthquake zones of illinois. the most dangerous zones are located in the southern part of the state.
- Explains that the new madrid seismic zone is not the only hot spot for earthquakes in illinois. a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck evansville, indiana on june 18, 2002.
- Explains that the great central us shakeout is the largest earthquake drill in the united states.
- Explains that seismic activity exists at the southern tip of illinois. the illinois state geological survey also has maps of historical earthquake disasters, as well as fault systems within the state and its neighboring states.
- Explains that the water pipe was submerged under the lake, which is vulnerable to earthquakes. the bypass was built to provide redundancy in case of an earthquake.
- Explains that illinois has a moderate to low susceptibility to landslides, with $8 million in damages documented since 1928.
- Cites illinois disaster recovery plan (idrp) and illinois state geological survey's earthquakes.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that san francisco was in the midst of the second industrial revolution, when a devastating earthquake hit the city on april 18, 1906.
- Explains how the 1906 san francisco earthquake has affected the advanced knowledge in earthquakes that scientists have today.
- Explains that san francisco's weak alarm system broke down during the first earthquake tremor, thus not a single alarm went off during three days and three nights the fires lasted.
- Explains that san francisco was built in a haphazard manner, with weak building structures and rudimentary fire protection.
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840 wordsRead More