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Earthquakes In The United States
The following is a list of notable earthquakes and tsunamis which had their epicenter in areas that are now part of the United States with the latter affecting areas of the United States. Those in ''italics'' were not part of the United States when the event occurred. List of earthquakes Earthquake swarms which affected the United States: * 1962–71 Denver earthquake swarm * Enola earthquake swarm * 2008 Reno earthquakes * Guy-Greenbrier earthquake swarm * Oklahoma earthquake swarms (2009–present) Earthquakes which affected the United States but whose epicenters were outside the United States borders: * 1925 Charlevoix–Kamouraska earthquake – magnitude 6.2 earthquake, no injuries or fatalities anywhere * 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake – magnitude 6.4 earthquake with an epicenter less than 1 km inside Mexico – significant damage and injuries on both sides of the border (60 in the US) * 2010 Baja California earthquake (Mexico near S California) – magnitude ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those that are so weak that they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time period. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy release per unit volume. The word ''tremor'' is also used for Episodic tremor and slip, non-earthquake seismic rumbling. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and displacing or disrupting the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1867 Manhattan, Kansas Earthquake
The 1867 Manhattan earthquake struck Riley County, Kansas, in the United States on April 24, 1867, at 20:22 UTC, or about . The strongest earthquake to originate in the state, it measured 5.1 on a seismic scale that is based on an isoseismal map or the event's felt area. The earthquake's epicenter was near the town of Manhattan. The earthquake had a maximum perceived intensity of VII (''Very strong'') on the Mercalli intensity scale. It caused minor damage, reports of which were confined to Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri, according to the United States Geological Survey. Felt over an area of , the earthquake reached the states of Indiana, Illinois, and possibly Ohio, though the latter reports have been questioned. Manhattan is near the Nemaha Ridge, a long anticline structure that is bounded by several faults. The nearby in particular poses a threat to the city. Kansas is not known for earthquake activity, but an earthquake could occur at any time. A 2016 hazard map from the Uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1909 Wabash River Earthquake
The 1909 Wabash River earthquake occurred at 04:45 local time on September 27 with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong''). It measured 5.1 on a seismic scale that is based on an isoseismal map or the event's felt area. With moderate damage in the Wabash River Valley, it is currently the strongest earthquake recorded in the U.S. state of Indiana. The earthquake occurred somewhere along a fault within the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. Damage The earthquake was felt over an area of 30,000 square miles. In Terre Haute, the earthquake toppled two chimneys, cracked plaster, and knocked pictures from walls. Nearby Covington, north of Terre Haute in Fountain County, experienced several fallen chimneys and some broken windows. Chimneys were "jarred loose" in Princeton, Indiana, and one chimney was even "shaken to pieces" at Olivette, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis). A brick wall was also "shook" down within St. Louis, Missouri. Reports came from various states, including Ark ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1906 Aleutian Islands Earthquake
The 1906 Aleutian Islands earthquake occurred at 00:11 UTC on August 17. It had an estimated seismic moment of 3.8 x 1028 dyn cm−1, equivalent to a magnitude of 8.35 on the moment magnitude scale. This earthquake was followed thirty minutes later by the 1906 Valparaíso earthquake in Chile, but the two events are not thought to be linked. Due to the remote location, there are no reports of damage associated with this earthquake. A transpacific tsunami reported from Japan and Hawaii was triggered by the Chilean event, rather than the Aleutian Islands earthquake. Tectonic setting The Aleutian Islands are a volcanic arc lying above the convergent boundary where the Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath the North American Plate. Earthquakes in the area are caused by movement along the plate interface (such as the 1965 Rat Islands earthquake), normal faulting within the outer rise and within the subducting slab. The earthquake's epicenter lies close to a major break in the Aleut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1906 San Francisco Earthquake
At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity shaking was felt from Eureka on the North Coast to the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region to the south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Devastating fires soon broke out in San Francisco and lasted for several days. More than 3,000 people died, and over 80% of the city was destroyed. The events are remembered as one of the worst and deadliest earthquakes in the history of the United States. The death toll remains the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history and high on the lists of American disasters. Tectonic setting The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that forms part of the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The strike-slip fault is characterized by ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1901 Richfield Earthquake
The 1901 Richfield earthquake was a magnitude earthquake that occurred on 13 November 1901 at approximately 9:39 PM MDT at Richfield, Utah, United States. If estimations are accurate, it is the largest earthquake ever recorded in Utah. Earthquake The earthquake struck at approximately 9:39 PM MDT approximately south of Richfield, Utah, United States. Reports of the length of the quake varied from about one minute to three minutes. There were three waves—increasing in power—to the initial quake, and "roaring" or "low rumbling" sounds accompanying the shock waves were reported in Fillmore, Cedar City, and Salt Lake City. The time of the quake is officially recorded by the Intermountain Seismic Belt Historical Earthquake Project (ISBHEP) as 9:39 PM MDT. The USGS report gives an official time as 9:32 PM MDT. News reports from the time give times ranging from 9:30 PM MDT to 10:45 PM MDT. Magnitude and intensity The quake was recorded by the ISBHEP as a and an intensity of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1899 San Jacinto Earthquake
The 1899 San Jacinto earthquake occurred on Christmas morning (December 25) at 04:25 local time in Southern California. The estimated moment magnitude 6.7 earthquake had an epicenter located 10 miles southeast of San Jacinto. The earthquake had a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). Severe damage occurred, amounting to US$50,000 (1899 rate), as well as six fatalities. Tectonic setting The mainshock occurred on a segment of the San Jacinto Fault Zone. This highly segmented, 210-km-long strike-slip fault that forms part of the boundary between the North American and Pacific plates. The fault is part of a complex plate boundary system known as the San Andreas Fault System. It runs parallel to the San Andreas Fault, west of the Salton Sea, and is separated from the San Andreas Fault by the San Jacinto Mountains to its east. It cuts under cities including Hemet, Colton, and San Bernardino along the way, before joining the San Andreas Fault at Devore. Because the fault is s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1895 Charleston Earthquake
The 1895 Charleston earthquake, also known as the Halloween earthquake, occurred on October 31, at 05:07 CST near Charleston, Missouri. It had an estimated moment magnitude of 5.8–6.6 and evaluated Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). The earthquake caused substantial property damage in the states of Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. Shaking was widespread, being felt across 23 states and even in Canada. At least two people died and seven were injured. Tectonic setting The New Madrid Seismic Zone located in the midcontinental United States is a region of concentrated seismic activity. This zone is within the Reelfoot Rift, a failed rift trending northeast. Faulting within the rift occasionally causes small to moderate earthquakes. In 1811–1812, a series of large earthquakes occurred on the rift, causing great devastation. Martin and Hough postulated three different plausible events, a north-northwest rupture from Henson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1886 Charleston Earthquake
The 1886 Charleston earthquake occurred about 9:50 p.m. local time August 31. It caused 60 deaths and $5–6 million ($ million in ) in damage to 2,000 buildings in the Southeastern United States. It is one of the most powerful and damaging earthquakes to hit the East Coast of the United States. Scientists have classified it as an intraplate earthquake, and said that it had an estimated moment magnitude of 6.9–7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Very little to no historical earthquake activity had occurred in this region, which is unusual for any seismic area. Earthquake The shock was felt as far away as Boston, Massachusetts, to the north, Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the northwest, New Orleans, Louisiana, to the west, and across water to Cuba to the south, and Bermuda to the east. The earthquake was so severe that outside the immediate area, there was speculation that the Florida peninsula had broken away from North Ameri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1872 North Cascades Earthquake
The 1872 North Cascades earthquake occurred at in central Washington Territory (now Washington state). A maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe'') was assessed for several locations, though less intense shaking was observed at many other locations in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. Some of these intermediate outlying areas reported V (''Moderate'') to VII (''Very strong'') shaking, but intensities as high as IV (''Light'') were reported as far distant as Idaho and Montana. Due to the remote location of the mainshock and a series of strong aftershocks, damage to structures was limited to a few cabins close to the areas of the highest intensity. Because the earthquake occurred before seismometers were operating in the region, the magnitude of the shock and its location were never precisely determined, but the intensity reports that are available for the event were studied, and various epicenters for the event were proposed based on these limited data. One study pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1872 Lone Pine Earthquake
The 1872 Owens Valley earthquake – also known as the Lone Pine earthquake – struck on March 26 at in the Owens Valley (California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada), with the epicenter near the town of Lone Pine. Its magnitude has been estimated at 7.4 to 7.9, with a maximum Mercalli Intensity of X (''Extreme''). It was one of the largest earthquakes to hit California in recorded history and was similar in size to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Twenty-seven people were killed and fifty-six were injured. Tectonic setting The earthquake resulted from sudden vertical movement of and right-lateral movement of on the Lone Pine Fault and part of the Owens Valley Fault. These faults are part of a twin system of normal faults that run along the base of two parallel mountain ranges; the Sierra Nevada on the west and the Inyo Mountains on the east of the Owens Valley. It created fault scarps from north of Big Pine, north of Lone Pine, to Haiwee Reservoir () south ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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