The New Madrid Earthquake that Will Divide the United States in Half

[rangerrebew]

The New Madrid Earthquake that Will Divide the United States in Half


Michael Snyder
 The American Dream
 February 28th, 2015
 


Once upon a time, North America almost divided along a very deep subsurface rift.  Today, that rift system and the faults associated with it are known as the New Madrid fault zone.  This fault zone is six times larger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.  Back in 1811 and 1812, four of the largest earthquakes in U.S. history struck that area of the country.  The movement of the ground was so powerful that it changed the course of the Mississippi River and it rang church bells in Boston, Massachusetts.  So could such an earthquake (or worse) strike today?  Well, last year the U.S. Geological Survey released a report that warned that the New Madrid fault zone has the “potential for larger and more powerful quakes than previously thought“, and the USGS also admits that the number of significant earthquakes in the middle part of the country has more than quintupled in recent years.  We also know that the U.S. government and large corporations are so concerned about the potential for a major New Madrid earthquake that they have held major exercises that simulate one.  Scientists tell us that it is just a matter of time until another superquake hits the region, and personally I am one of the millions of Americans that believe that we will eventually see a New Madrid earthquake that will divide the United States in half.  That is one of the reasons why I included a New Madrid earthquake in my novel.  But others are skeptical.  They point out that we have not seen a truly devastating earthquake in that region for more than 200 years.  So why be concerned about one now?

What everyone can agree on is that there is an area of significant geological weakness under the New Madrid fault zone.  This area of weakness formed when the continents were breaking up.  The rift that formed did not end up splitting the North American continent at that time, but the area of weakness remains.  The following comes from Wikipedia…


The faults responsible for the New Madrid Seismic Zone are embedded in a subsurface geological feature known as the Reelfoot Rift that formed during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia in the Neoproterozoic Era (about 750 million years ago). The resulting rift system failed to split the continent, but has remained as an aulacogen (a scar or zone of weakness) deep underground, and its ancient faults appear to have made the Earth’s crust in the New Madrid area mechanically weaker than much of the rest of North America.

This relative weakness is important, because it would allow the relatively small east-west compressive forces associated with the continuing continental drift of the North American plate to reactivate old faults around New Madrid, making the area unusually prone to earthquakes in spite of it being far from the nearest tectonic plate boundary.

And indeed, there have been some awesome earthquakes in this region throughout history.

Back in 1811 and 1812, there were four earthquakes along the New Madrid fault zone there were so immensely powerful that they are still talked about today.

Those earthquakes opened deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards, and were reportedly felt more than 1,000 miles away.  It is said that the stench of fire and brimstone hung in the air for months afterwards.

The most powerful of this series of quakes was on December 16th, 1811.  The following is one description of what happened on that day…


This powerful earthquake was felt widely over the entire eastern United States. People were awakened by the shaking in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C. Perceptible ground shaking was in the range of one to three minutes depending upon the observer’s location. The ground motions were described as “most alarming and frightening” in places like Nashville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky. Reports also describe houses and other structures being severely shaken, with many chimneys knocked down. In the epicentral area the ground surface was described as being in great convulsion, with sand and water ejected tens of feet into the air — a process called liquefaction.

But there have also been others times throughout history when we have seen a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault.

For example, according to scientists there is evidence of other super quakes in the distant past…


Geological evidence indicates that two such super-earthquakes happened twice in the past 1,200 years: the first some time between 800 and 1000 A.D., and the second between 1300 and 1600 A.D.

And now earthquake activity in the central portion of the nation is increasing again.

As I noted above, the USGS says that the frequency of earthquakes in the central and eastern portions of the United States has more than quintupled in recent years.  And the USGS has now gone so far as to point out the relationship between human activity and the increase in earthquakes.  The following comes from an article done by the U.S. Geological Survey…


The number of earthquakes has increased dramatically over the past few years within the central and eastern United States. Nearly 450 earthquakes magnitude 3.0 and larger occurred in the four years from 2010-2013, over 100 per year on average, compared with an average rate of 20 earthquakes per year observed from 1970-2000.

This increase in earthquakes prompts two important questions: Are they natural, or man-made? And what should be done in the future as we address the causes and consequences of these events to reduce associated risks? USGS scientists have been analyzing the changes in the rate of earthquakes as well as the likely causes, and they have some answers.

USGS scientists have found that at some locations the increase in seismicity coincides with the injection of wastewater in deep disposal wells. Much of this wastewater is a byproduct of oil and gas production and is routinely disposed of by injection into wells specifically designed for this purpose.

So what would happen if a major earthquake did strike the New Madrid fault zone?

This is something that scientists have studied.  If a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the region today, thousands would die, hundreds of thousands of buildings would be damaged, and the economic losses would be measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars.  The following comes from Wikipedia…


In October 2009, a team composed of University of Illinois and Virginia Tech researchers headed by Amr S. Elnashai, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), considered a scenario where all three segments of the New Madrid fault ruptured simultaneously with a total earthquake magnitude of 7.7. The report found that there would be significant damage in the eight states studied – Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee – with the probability of additional damage in states farther from the NMSZ. Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri would be most severely impacted, and the cities of Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri would be severely damaged. The report estimated 86,000 casualties, including 3,500 fatalities; 715,000 damaged buildings; and 7.2 million people displaced, with 2 million of those seeking shelter, primarily due to the lack of utility services. Direct economic losses, according to the report, would be at least $300 billion.

But remember, that study only considered a magnitude 7.7 earthquake.

If we had an earthquake of magnitude 8 or magnitude 9, we could be talking about an earthquake many, many times more powerful.

It is also important to note that there are 15 nuclear reactors along the New Madrid fault zone.  In the event of a major New Madrid earthquake, we could be looking at Fukushima times 15.

Of course most Americans are completely oblivious to all of this.  In fact, most Americans don’t even know what the New Madrid fault zone is or where it is located.

But there are people in the government that are very aware of this threat.  In fact, the federal government considered it important enough to hold a major five-day simulation known as “National Level Exercise 11″ just a few years ago…


In May, the federal government simulated an earthquake so massive, it killed 100,000 Midwesterners instantly, and forced more than 7 million people out of their homes. At the time, National Level Exercise 11 went largely unnoticed; the scenario seemed too far-fetched — states like Illinois and Missouri are in the middle of a tectonic plate, not at the edge of one. A major quake happens there once every several generations.

…

National Level Exercise 11, or NLE 11, was, in essence, a replay of a disaster that happened 200 years earlier. On Dec. 16, 1811, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the New Madrid fault line, which lies on the border region of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. It’s by far the largest earthquake ever to strike the United States east of the Rockies. Up to 129,000 square kilometers [50,000 square miles] were hit with “raised or sunken lands, fissures, sinks, sand blows, and large landslides,” according to the U.S. Geological Service. “Huge waves on the Mississippi River overwhelmed many boats and washed others high onto the shore. High banks caved and collapsed into the river; sand bars and points of islands gave way; whole islands disappeared.” People as far away as New York City were awakened by the shaking.

More quakes, of a similar size, followed. But the loss of life was minimal: Not too many people lived in the area at the time. Today, there are more than 15 million people living in the quake zone. If a similar quake hit, “7.2 million people could be displaced, with 2 million seeking temporary shelter” in the first three days, FEMA Associate Adminsitrator William Carwile told a Congressional panel in 2010. “Direct economic losses for the eight states could total nearly $300 billion, while indirect losses at least twice that amount.”

And major corporations are also concerned about what could happen.

For example, in a previous article I noted that Wal-Mart had “participated in an exercise” that simulated a major earthquake in the New Madrid fault zone…


Buried in a Wall Street Journal article from about a week ago was a startling piece of information.  According to a Wal-Mart executive, Wal-Mart “participated in an exercise to prepare for an earthquake on the New Madrid fault line” earlier this summer.

Nobody knows when it is going to happen.

But this is a real threat.

And if we do see a magnitude 9.0 earthquake or greater, we could be talking about a continent changing event.
- See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-new-madrid-earthquake-that-will-divide-the-united-states-in-half_022015#sthash.HuZmjBax.dpuf

[sinkspur]

Let me guess:  You have a bunker full of survivalist food and other gear.

You dig up the strangest, most offbeat websites. 

[mystery-ak]

The area highlighted includes me.......

After my mom died and we cleaned out her house we found all of her *survival rations*...she had several large garbage cans filled with MREs, toliet paper and bottled water...she was prepared..lol

[Free Vulcan]

If the New Madrid popped off again like it did the last time, it'd drop buildings all the way to Chicago. Not quite as bad as a Yellowstone eruption, but it'd still deep six the economy. And from what I read we are due for another one.

[mountaineer]

When I lived in St. Louis, I knew people predicting "the big one" happening to the New Madrid fault on a certain date in 1991. Needless to say, it didn't happen. Not sure what they did with their car trunk full of provisions.

[Lando Lincoln]

A major seismic release along the New Madrid would likely be a widespread catastrophe due to deep sedimentary deposits and soils of the region.  Combine that with the population centers likely impacted... wow.

[alicewonders]

A major seismic release along the New Madrid would likely be a widespread catastrophe due to deep sedimentary deposits and soils of the region.  Combine that with the population centers likely impacted... wow.

I wonder if there will be any type of activity that will signal a warning that such an earthquake is imminent? 

[Lando Lincoln]

I wonder if there will be any type of activity that will signal a warning that such an earthquake is imminent?

The USGS is trying - and using their best available technology but the seismic zone is extraordinarily deep and covered by deep stratigraphy.  They have very little understanding of the structure relatively speaking.

[DCPatriot]

Well, SOMETHING is moving under pressure.  I say that because of the accelerated, widespread house shaking, animal upsetting loud 'bangs' people are reporting all over the United States.  Also, the loud scraping metal sounds.

Nobody can, or will, explain them. 

If we're all gonna die...we may as well make it fun.

Let's suppose the end result of this coming earthquake event will two separate land masses Eastern and Western USA.

If your gut feeling was so strong that you made a choice TODAY where you were going to move to survive and prosper?

Take into account less States.  Some may be totally flooded 'forever'.

[Lando Lincoln]

While being catastrophic, a major quake along the New Madrid will not divide the country in half. 

But here is an idea... Let Conservatives have one half and the rest can have the other.  They choose.  Let's see where we are in a couple generations.

[DCPatriot]

While being catastrophic, a major quake along the New Madrid will not divide the country in half. 

But here is an idea... Let Conservatives have one half and the rest can have the other.  They choose.  Let's see where we are in a couple generations.

It's been demonstrated in Eastern and Western Germany.  North and South Korea.  The USA and Cuba.

Then it was demonstrated in Detroit.  And whether they want to admit it or not, Chicago.

What I'm speaking about is the stark contrast between free market capitalism and communism between peoples of close geographical proximity.

[Lando Lincoln]

It's been demonstrated in Eastern and Western Germany.  North and South Korea.  The USA and Cuba.

Then it was demonstrated in Detroit.  And whether they want to admit it or not, Chicago.

What I'm speaking about is the stark contrast between free market capitalism and communism between peoples of close geographical proximity.

Excellent. 

[truth_seeker]

Since there are frequent and severe quakes, California has building codes, for earthquakes.

The most severe damage has usually been to unreinforced brick buildings, so many old buildings have been retrofit-reinforced or demolished.

Another major problem then was lack of sufficient anchoring of the structures, to the foundation.

Damages in quakes are worst in areas with liquefaction. In the 1989 Loma Prieta the most damage were along the bay, with coastal sand, manmade fill soil, etc.

If you are in the New Madrid zone, concerned about a quake, and have an old building, consider the points above.

[ABX]

It's been demonstrated in Eastern and Western Germany.  North and South Korea.  The USA and Cuba.

Then it was demonstrated in Detroit.  And whether they want to admit it or not, Chicago.

What I'm speaking about is the stark contrast between free market capitalism and communism between peoples of close geographical proximity.

Very good point and one I saw mirrored by a sociologist about a decade ago (I can't remember who or even the source, just the overall conclusion).  The gist of the matter was there is a direct correlation between population density and independent thinking. The greater the population density the more people have the same political viewpoints and diversity of thought is reduced. Less independence results in less independent and individualistic thinking. Some of this is pretty understandable, for example, people ride the same bus and trains so they generally feel the same way about upkeep and its priority. In other ways though, ti begins to look more like a hive mentality where even things like pop culture trends and language become uniform.

Political parties, especially those on the left, have really learned to capitalize on this. It isn't just the efficiency of less spending in major markets to impact more people, it is how that hive mentality and thinking in those markets can spread as even smaller cities and rural areas become more tied together with the information age.

It is something the right has failed in many ways to exploit. I do see some hope with people like Sabo starting to make anti-establishment cool. But it is going to take more work.  That's why I've been saying, the only way Conservative and Libertarians will really take back thought isn't from the top-down on who gets elected, but bottom up, household to household, neighbor to neighbor, school to school. We have to change the hive thinking to embrace individualism and have a skeptical distrust of power brokers promising cake for more power.

I'll get off my rant now.. this is way off the original topic.

[DCPatriot]

Very good point and one I saw mirrored by a sociologist about a decade ago (I can't remember who or even the source, just the overall conclusion).  The gist of the matter was there is a direct correlation between population density and independent thinking. The greater the population density the more people have the same political viewpoints and diversity of thought is reduced. Less independence results in less independent and individualistic thinking. Some of this is pretty understandable, for example, people ride the same bus and trains so they generally feel the same way about upkeep and its priority. In other ways though, ti begins to look more like a hive mentality where even things like pop culture trends and language become uniform.

Political parties, especially those on the left, have really learned to capitalize on this. It isn't just the efficiency of less spending in major markets to impact more people, it is how that hive mentality and thinking in those markets can spread as even smaller cities and rural areas become more tied together with the information age.

It is something the right has failed in many ways to exploit. I do see some hope with people like Sabo starting to make anti-establishment cool. But it is going to take more work.  That's why I've been saying, the only way Conservative and Libertarians will really take back thought isn't from the top-down on who gets elected, but bottom up, household to household, neighbor to neighbor, school to school. We have to change the hive thinking to embrace individualism and have a skeptical distrust of power brokers promising cake for more power.

I'll get off my rant now.. this is way off the original topic.

Excellent points, AB!   

[olde north church]

Since there are frequent and severe quakes, California has building codes, for earthquakes.

The most severe damage has usually been to unreinforced brick buildings, so many old buildings have been retrofit-reinforced or demolished.

Another major problem then was lack of sufficient anchoring of the structures, to the foundation.

Damages in quakes are worst in areas with liquefaction. In the 1989 Loma Prieta the most damage were along the bay, with coastal sand, manmade fill soil, etc.

If you are in the New Madrid zone, concerned about a quake, and have an old building, consider the points above.

It's not a matter of codes but the liquefaction.  You get a quake in St. Louis, that "earth" is moving East like a ripple to the ocean.  Movement toward the west won't be any where as bad.  The movement hindered at the Rockies.

[Lando Lincoln]

It's not a matter of codes but the liquefaction.  You get a quake in St. Louis, that "earth" is moving East like a ripple to the ocean.  Movement toward the west won't be any where as bad.  The movement hindered at the Rockies.

Exactly.  Place a small home on a bowl of sand and shake the bowl...  Those are deep basin sediments throughout the region.

[musiclady]

Since there are frequent and severe quakes, California has building codes, for earthquakes.

The most severe damage has usually been to unreinforced brick buildings, so many old buildings have been retrofit-reinforced or demolished.

Another major problem then was lack of sufficient anchoring of the structures, to the foundation.

Damages in quakes are worst in areas with liquefaction. In the 1989 Loma Prieta the most damage were along the bay, with coastal sand, manmade fill soil, etc.

If you are in the New Madrid zone, concerned about a quake, and have an old building, consider the points above.

I have heard that Memphis will all but disappear.

Lots of very old two story buildings that won't withstand a big quake.

[olde north church]

Exactly.  Place a small home on a bowl of sand and shake the bowl...  Those are deep basin sediments throughout the region.

Sort of like those bad '50's jungle movies with the quicksand.  Quicksand would be a better foundation.

[truth_seeker]

It's not a matter of codes but the liquefaction.  You get a quake in St. Louis, that "earth" is moving East like a ripple to the ocean.  Movement toward the west won't be any where as bad.  The movement hindered at the Rockies.

You are mixing two separate aspects. Liquefaction is the soil condition, as is bedrock. Quake damage is greater for buildings sitting upon liquefaction, versus on bedrock.

The codes deal with the structure itself, the anchoring, the sheer resistance, etc.

If you build on liquefaction sites, you anchor deeply, like pilings.

For all situations, old buildings must have the anchoring reinforced, the  unreinforced masonry walls need reinforcement, etc.

I sold a new home to a buyer, who questioned why he couldn't have a picture window on a certain wall. The answer was sheer paneling, to keep the building from distorting when stressed by shaking earth.
masonry buildings.

The very most modern buildings will be engineered to flex with earth movements.
In the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, most injuries and deaths were due to falling bricks from unreinforced

[olde north church]

You are mixing two separate aspects. Liquefaction is the soil condition, as is bedrock. Quake damage is greater for buildings sitting upon liquefaction, versus on bedrock.

The codes deal with the structure itself, the anchoring, the sheer resistance, etc.

If you build on liquefaction sites, you anchor deeply, like pilings.

For all situations, old buildings must have the anchoring reinforced, the  unreinforced masonry walls need reinforcement, etc.

I sold a new home to a buyer, who questioned why he couldn't have a picture window on a certain wall. The answer was sheer paneling, to keep the building from distorting when stressed by shaking earth.
masonry buildings.

The very most modern buildings will be engineered to flex with earth movements.
In the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, most injuries and deaths were due to falling bricks from unreinforced

You can't anchor into the east.  The east coast is sediment.  It's very difficult for ME to explain the difference between west coast and east coast.  It's like a ripple in a pond or a wave across the ocean.  The west coast is totally different.

[truth_seeker]

You can't anchor into the east.  The east coast is sediment.  It's very difficult for ME to explain the difference between west coast and east coast.  It's like a ripple in a pond or a wave across the ocean.  The west coast is totally different.

Tell me how they are different. Are you a geologist?

The West Coast is part of the Ring of Fire, running from South America, Indonesia, Japan, Alaska, down the Pacific through the US into Mexico. No exactly inconsequential, btw.
 
Do you mean that compared to the West Coast, the East is a far bigger earthquake risk because it is sediment? What exactly do you think the Los Angeles Basin is? The Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana Rivers have deposited large areas of terrain, subject to liquefaction in the regions MANY recorded earthquakes.

Why would sediment in the east, be significantly different, and more dangerous? New Madrid is not even on a plate boundary, where most quake and volcanic activity occurs.





 

[olde north church]

Tell me how they are different. Are you a geologist?

The West Coast is part of the Ring of Fire, running from South America, Indonesia, Japan, Alaska, down the Pacific through the US into Mexico. No exactly inconsequential, btw.
 
Do you mean that compared to the West Coast, the East is a far bigger earthquake risk because it is sediment? What exactly do you think the Los Angeles Basin is? The Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana Rivers have deposited large areas of terrain, subject to liquefaction in the regions MANY recorded earthquakes.

Why would sediment in the east, be significantly different, and more dangerous? New Madrid is not even on a plate boundary, where most quake and volcanic activity occurs.

Am I geologist?  No.  Did I take several geology courses in my life?  Yes.  The geology of the west coast and the east coast are different.  The Rockies are among the younger of mountain ranges on the planet.  The Appalachians, actually, the oldest.  What lay between, is an ancient sea.  My brain isn't what it used to be.  Do us all a favor and do some research on your own.  Then you can tell the group how you got your factual ass kicked by a man with a man who actually DOES have half his brain tied behind his back.
Later.

[olde north church]

Am I geologist?  No.  Did I take several geology courses in my life?  Yes.  The geology of the west coast and the east coast are different.  The Rockies are among the younger of mountain ranges on the planet.  The Appalachians, actually, the oldest.  What lay between, is an ancient sea.  My brain isn't what it used to be.  Do us all a favor and do some research on your own.  Then you can tell the group how you got your factual ass kicked by a man with a man who actually DOES have half his brain tied behind his back.
Later.

revision:  The Rockies also consist of igneous rock.  Volcanic origins from the center of the Earth.  Woke me up in the "middle of the night" to make the addition.

[massadvj]

Great.  Now I have one more thing I have to factor into my calculations for survival.  And I haven't yet wrapped my head around the strange signals coming from that planet just 22 light years away.