new madrid fault

new madrid fault USA

The new madrid fault is a system which extends 120 miles southward from the area of Missouri , Charleston , Cairo , Illinois , and crosses five state lines and cuts across the river of Mississippi in three places and the Ohio River in two places.

Every year the fault getting more active and averaging more than 200 measured events, per month about 20. The intensity of earthquakes measured by Richter Scale of earthquake magnitude which is a measure of the energy released at the source of an earthquake deep within the earth. On seismograms it is determined by measuring the amplitudes of ground motion.

Each unit of the Richter scale say from 5.2 to 6.2 and represents 31.6 times difference in energy release and also every two units represent 1,000 times more energy. Actually a big quantity of little earthquakes can't prevent the intensity of larger ones and damaging magnitude 6.0 is 1,000 times more energy than not damaging 4.0, devastating 8.0 is 1,000 times larger than a 6.0. Obviously a fault would have 1,000 4.0 events to prevent the occurrence of a single 6.0, or a million 4.0 events to prevent a single 8.0. Fault releases a shock of 4.0 more every 18 months.

In 1996 during thanksgiving evening in some states of United States was registered the most high magnitude of New Madrid Fault 4.3. As California is area of underlying geology the destruction there covers over more than 20 times And also the highest earthquake risk in the West Coast of United States. In this area it occurs every 80 years and causes huge damage to many schools and buildings from Memphis to St Louis . The fault here is 6.0 or greater in the Richter scale, but the major happens every 200- 300 years. Such rupture of New Madrid Fault felt half of united states and could damage 20 states or more.

The largest burst of seismic energy in the history of the United States occur on 1811-1812 with a series of over 2000 shocks in five months and the magnitude increases 8.0 or more. It destroyed the land in the Missouri Bootheel made it unfit for farmers for many years. Another huge earthquake which made many catastrophic upheavals was in 1811- 1812 visited the new madrid fault region every 500 - 600 years. Nowadays seismologists and experts do not expect a repeat of such intensity but in spite of all it assign a 3% probability of major earthquake by the year 2040.

As the stresses within the earth slowly increases year by year earthquake probabilities for known active faults also increases with time, and when the rocks can take no more stress the sudden rupture becomes inevitable. Greatest concerns sized events can occur in the near future and the 6.0 shock has 90% chance in 2040. The earthquakes of this magnitude can be serious damage within the lifetimes of growing age's future. There are a few simple and inexpensive precautions which can lessen damage and injuries before an earthquake strikes. Very important to know environment and understand what has the potential for falling, swinging or rolling when an earthquake strikes.