The 1947 Wisconsin earthquake took place on May 6, immediately south of
Milwaukee at 15:25 (CST). It was the largest tremor to be historically documented in Wisconsin, but was not recorded by
seismographs.
History
The area had been previously shaken by the
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 ...
, causing damage assessed at VII (''Very strong'') on the
Modified Mercalli scale across the Wisconsin-Illinois border. Two earthquakes were also reported in the state in 1912. Shocks in 1919 and 1925, the first from Missouri and the latter from Canada, occurred over enormous zones and affected the entire region, though not seriously. Earthquakes struck Wisconsin again in 1937 and 1939.
Damage
The area hardest hit was a strip of land in southeastern Wisconsin, while the earthquake was felt over a much more extensive wide area stretching across the Wisconsin-Illinois border, and to
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
and
Waukesha. Damage consisted of broken windows and fallen
porcelain, pots and dishes.
The locals' initial impression was that an explosion had taken place. Many evacuated buildings into the streets.
Corporate office buildings were emptied of workers.
[ Numerous calls were made local fire departments, police stations and newspapers. Three reports were made to the Milwaukee Fire Department, all describing explosions.][ Many hotels, such as the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, were rocked by the tremor. However, the earthquake caused no serious damage or casualties.][
]
See also
* List of earthquakes in 1947
This is a list of earthquakes in 1947. Only magnitude 6.0 or greater earthquakes appear on the list. Lower magnitude events are included if they have caused death, injury or damage. Events which occurred in remote areas will be excluded from the ...
* List of 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 whe ...
References
Further reading
*
{{Earthquakes in the United States
Wisconsin Earthquake, 1947
Wisconsin Earthquake, 1947
Earthquakes in the United States
Natural disasters in Wisconsin
1947 natural disasters in the United States
Wisconsin earthquake