Mississippi Delta - location of the next big quake?

The New Madrid fault runs along the Mississippi Delta and was the center of the biggest quake ever to hit the US - back in 1811 & 1812.

Now scientists are saying that another is likely to happen in this area in the next 50 years - and they are predicting something in the 7.0 range. The same as hit Haiti.

Mississippi Delta Earthquake: America's Haiti Waiting to Happen?

In 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault zone that zig zags through five states shook so violently that it shifted furniture in Washington, D.C., and rang church bells in Boston. The series of temblors changed the course of the Mississippi River near Memphis, and historical accounts claim the river even flowed backward briefly.

Geologists consider the New Madrid fault line a major seismic zone and predict that an earthquake roughly the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake (7.0 on the Richter scale) could occur in the area during the next 50 years.

Hopefully it doesn't happen.

Considering I live in Alabama, I don't know about other states. But there is a particular commercial that has been airing in our area lately. Actually quite frequently and it's informing us of a disaster.

The commercial involves an earthquake that strikes a home and the family is trying to get out. It's looks so realistic!

They tell you to Get a kit, make a plan, be informed.

www.ready.gov...

Has anyone seen this commercial air around their area?

An earthquake is highly possible, and has been spoke of around these parts for quite some time. Funny, the majority think it will never happen. Or at least not anytime soon.

Wouldn't surprise me if we were in for a big one. We are long over due.


[edit on 24-1-2010 by OpenYourHead]

I'm thinking that the impetus for this quake will be the Wabash Valley Fault, which has been more active recently. It is adjacent to the New Madrid Zone, and up river on the Ohio and Wabash Rivers before they empty into the Mississippi. (Wabash into Ohio, then into Mississippi)
New Madrid/Wabash Zone Map:
www.showme.net...
From this Link, on the 5.2 magnitude 2008 Quake: en.wikipedia.org...

A Magnitude 5.2 quake took place in the Wabash zone[1] on April 18, 2008 at 09:37 UTC (04:37 CST), about 41 miles NNW of Evansville, Indiana, near the community of West Salem, Illinois[2]. It was felt all across southern Illinois, southern Indiana, western and central Kentucky and eastern Missouri, waking people up in Chicago and St. Louis, 123 miles away.[3][4] This was followed by several aftershocks and a second, magnitude 4.6 quake at 15:14 UTC (10:14 CST).[5] There were no injuries or serious damage reported late Friday morning, April 18, 2008.[6] In Mt. Carmel, Illinois, 15 southeast of the epicenter, a woman was reported trapped in her home by a collapsed porch but was quickly freed and wasn't hurt, said Mickie Smith, a police dispatcher there.[6] The earthquake occurred coincidentally on the 102nd anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The largest quake to have taken place in this Zone was a 5.4 earthquake in 1968.

Another interesting link:
news-info.wustl.edu...

[edit on 24-1-2010 by Dogdish]

reply to post by OpenYourHead

We've seen the same commercial in the same area, and found it quite curious indeed. Nothing like it has ever even been discussed as a possibility down this way.

We have seen several documentaries about the New Madrid fault line, however, and I and my husband have been keeping an eye on it for years now, knowing how devastating the earlier New Madrid quake was.

Thanks for posting this thread.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) site has real-time earthquake maps, and show current and past activity globally. I use it a lot and it's very detailed and user-friendly.

reply to post by Dogdish


I remember a quake in the 80's that was felt in western pa, was this part of the new madrid as well?

earthquake.usgs.gov...

I found the USGS state and region map but it shows no faults recorded in my area. I do remember though that it was strong enough to be felt, and we were a few hundred feet up in a steel frame and felt the sway, and once I made it home for the day the large retaining wall on my hillside had a long new crack in it.
Seems there would be some data on it but I dont see any, (must be overlooking it).


[edit on 24-1-2010 by HappilyEverAfter]

Yeah it would certainly be wise to stock up on foods and water
I wouldn't expect the kind of treatment that Haiti got.
Though we do have better equipment.
Wow what a perfect way for the UN to come here.

reply to post by HappilyEverAfter


Here's some info from this link: www.geo.mtu.edu...

# 1979 & 1980 - New York State and the adjacent areas experienced 131 earthquakes of magnitude 1 to 5.
# 1980, 5 earthquakes recorded north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. # 1980, Kentucky shaken by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake.
# 1982 -- New Brunswick, Canada, had a magnitude 5.7 earthquake.
# 1982 -- Arkansas earthquake swarm starts. Eighty-eight earthquakes between June 24 and July 5, 1982. Four earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 to 4.5 during first 3 months of swarm. Total of about 40,000 earthquakes in the area (most very small or not felt) between 1982 and 1985.
# 1983 - Lake Charles, Louisiana, experienced a magnitude 3.8 earthquake.
# 1983 -- Indiana had a magnitude 5.9 earthquake.
# 1986 -- Painesville, Ohio, experienced a magnitude 4.9 earthquake and several aftershocks. The earthquake was felt in 11 states.
# 1987 -- Southeastern Illinois experienced a magnitude 5.2 earthquake. This area has had 7 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater since 1892.

While living in Southern New Jersey, I twice woke up thinking there had been an earthquake, only to see that there had been one during the night.
The strange things were; I was in South NJ, and the relatively mild quakes had been North NJ, also that I woke up hours before each quake.
I haven't had any recurrences of this phenomena since, but the subject is still interesting to me.

Actually, scientist think the New madrid fault is dying. Which for me is great news!




www.sciencedaily.com...

I live right on top of the New Madrid Fault, and have all my life. We get a few tremors that we feel, but most of the ones lately have been 2.5 or less. I watch the quakes closely, and it's been unusually quiet for the last several months, with small tremors that aren't usually felt. We are getting about 3 a week, up and down the fault line.
If there is a repeat of the quake of 1811-1812, the loss of life and property will devestate this country. For those of you who don't know, the quake made the church bells in Boston ring. It made the Mississppi River run backwards for 24 hours, to fill a depression that is now known as Reelfoot Lake.
Those of us who live here have been told by Red Cross and Fema that it could be six months before there could be any real relief, if a quake of the same magnitude occurs, because of the collateral damage in areas with a larger population.
We've been expecting this disaster for years.
I would suggest that readers google the quake of 1811-1812 and study it. It is quite fascinating. Or you can just start with USGS.gov and follow their links.

reply to post by Greenize
I hope you are right, but the problem is that the New Madrid Fault is unusual. It doesn't set on the edge of tectonic plates, so no one really knows what cause the quakes. And just as in other fields of study, those who study earthquakes disagree on these things.
Like I said in another post, I live right on top of the darn thing, so I hope it is dying. But there were articles on the same page that gave different opinions.

I live in memphis tennessee, we of course sit right on the fault and every few years the USGS comes in and gives the city graphs on where the major damage would happen at.

Recently over the past few weeks we have noticed many government disaster relief trucks and vans roaming around the city, and an unusual amount of activity from the navy and air force bases. There has been some unusual weather, and this loud booming noise late at night like thunder or a C-5 hovering over your house for 10 or 15 minutes without any signs of there being anything above.

I am not worried I love far enough away from the main break points my area would only receive major building damage, and my family is prepared for this event. But the surveys put most of the western area of memphis 20 feet under the mississippi river, be about 15 miles of the city under water. As dangerous as this city is to live in (we have overall the worst crime in the country), if something like Katrina or Haiti hit memphis it would be a complete Mad Max zone, for forever.

reply to post by kettlebellysmith


You know, with all the talk of an impending disaster and previously big quakes in that area, you would think they wouldn't build such HUGE cities along that fault (New Madrid).

Almost like the people don't care what happens...

But the same is to say about why people build houses close to the beach.

I guess you can only prepare for so much.
But, for one thing, WE shouldn't have to rely on our gov't for assistance.

We, the people, should be able to help ourselves.
But we can't.
Fights, riots, looting and the such, have driven all hope out when disaster strikes.
Ahh....but we've become to accustom to the gov't stepping in and helping.

Why should they be punctual?

Good thread. I hope this doesn't happen anytime soon.

I cannot help but feel the next big one will be in the Greece/Turkey area.

The plates have sure been busy all over though.

edit; double post

[edit on 24-1-2010 by kettlebellysmith]

havok, I agree with you. We shouldn't depend on the government for help in times of need. We should depend on ourselves, and our neighbors.
If a quake hits my area of Arkansas, and I survive, then I will take care of my family, and help my neighbors. I won't wait for the government.
Where I live is less than 5 miles from the Mississippi, and if we have a quake in the spring, when the water is to the top of the levees, I don't hold out much hope for my area. I read somewhere that approximately half of the state would be flooded. Don't recall where I read so can't swear it's true. But there's a lot of water in that damned river in the spring, and all that's holding it back are a couple of earthen levees.
keep your hardhats and life perservers handy folks, we may be in for a hell of a ride.
By the way, New Madrid Mo is not that big. According to the 2000 census there were 3,334 people living there.

Originally posted by Greenize

Actually, scientist think the New madrid fault is dying. Which for me is great news!

www.sciencedaily.com...

Here's something else to worry about then, LOL:

Earthquake in Illinois could portend an emerging threat
Wabash Valley Fault - 'New Kid on the Block' By Tony Fitzpatrick
April 24, 2008 -- To the surprise of many, the earthquake on April 18, 2008, about 120 miles east of St. Louis, originated in the Wabash Valley Fault and not the better-known and more-dreaded New Madrid Fault in Missouri's bootheel.

and also from the same article at: news-info.wustl.edu...

"I think everyone's interested in the Wabash Valley Fault because a lot of the attention has been on the New Madrid Fault, but the Wabash Valley Fault could be the more dangerous one, at least for St. Louis and Illinois," said Wiens, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences. "The strongest earthquakes in the last few years have come from the Wabash Valley Fault, which needs more investigation."

reply to post by Frogs


Of course. TPTB were hoping the Katrina hurricane would chase everyone out so they could build their gigantic sea port for the NAU. That is their plan on the NAU website. It is centrally located and would service the entire nation from the middle outwards. Kansas City is the central hub for dispersements of shipping. That is well known too.

The Mississippi would be used for barge traffic of the Chinese made goods and the Highway through Texas would be used to disperse again. So an earthquake could chase the people out of New Orleans once and for all, it will be declared a disaster zone and unihabitable except by government entities to build the port and WE will pay for it. How dumb are we?

immigrationbuzz.com...

reply to post by daddio


So, do you think the great lakes would empty? I wonder what kind of damage that would cause.

I have sometimes thought about this region and fault line(s).

I have believed for a long time that another US CIvil War is coming...................what I call the survival war. Every man for himself. I often thought if the NWO wanted to blow apart America, they would cause an earthquake along the Mississippi river, which if it went the entire length of the river, would split apart the US geographically.

Then you would have East US and West US regions.

Just a theory.............