BREAKING: 5.1 earthquake strikes Delaware, felt in Pennsylvania

An interesting take on this quake : www.iflscience.com...

Technically, it’s known as an intraplate earthquake, one that occurs in the middle of a tectonic plate. A region famous for such quakes is the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), one that’s centered on southeast Missouri. Again, there are no tectonic boundaries here, but there are ancient faults that some have referred to as “mantle scars”.

The NMSZ’s origins can be traced back to the attempted split of the continental landmass we now see as the contiguous United States. Although this severance never succeeded, old faults remained, and every now and then, they slip. Between 1811 and 1812, for example, several earthquakes struck the region, with one possibly as powerful as a 7.7M event.

Ancient fault networks streak through the area east of the Rocky Mountains too, and although they aren’t as hazardous as those in the NMSZ, they can slip from time to time. The North American Plate experiences external forces from surrounding plates all the time, and this can sometimes get transferred to these quiet faults, causing them to become temporarily active.

originally posted by: Mikeapollo
An interesting take on this quake : www.iflscience.com...

Technically, it’s known as an intraplate earthquake, one that occurs in the middle of a tectonic plate. A region famous for such quakes is the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), one that’s centered on southeast Missouri. Again, there are no tectonic boundaries here, but there are ancient faults that some have referred to as “mantle scars”.

The NMSZ’s origins can be traced back to the attempted split of the continental landmass we now see as the contiguous United States. Although this severance never succeeded, old faults remained, and every now and then, they slip. Between 1811 and 1812, for example, several earthquakes struck the region, with one possibly as powerful as a 7.7M event.

Ancient fault networks streak through the area east of the Rocky Mountains too, and although they aren’t as hazardous as those in the NMSZ, they can slip from time to time. The North American Plate experiences external forces from surrounding plates all the time, and this can sometimes get transferred to these quiet faults, causing them to become temporarily active.

I guess that blows a hole in the whole "fracking causes earthquakes!" theory. Natural process.

originally posted by: face23785

I guess that blows a hole in the whole "fracking causes earthquakes!" theory. Natural process.

Not sure I'd say that, but it certainly adds another factor to consider when looking at non-tectonic quakes...