1865 Memphis earthquake

Earthquake in North America May 2025 February 2025 1865 Memphis earthquake yes August 17, 1865 1865-08-17 15:00 official18650817150000000 Tennessee 4.7 fa y VIIStover Coffman 1993 358. 36.0 N 89.5 W region:US inline, titleStover Coffman 1993 358. Tennessee United States The 1865 Memphis earthquake struck southwest Tennessee near the Mississippi River in the United States on August 17 that year. Soon after the fa 5.0 y earthquake hit, observers said the earth appeared to undulate and waves formed in nearby rivers. The force of the earthquake felled and cracked chimneys in Memphis and New Madrid, Missouri on the other side of the Mississippi. Shaking from the earthquake spread as far as St. Louis, Missouri; Jackson, Mississippi; and Illinois.Stover Coffman 1993 358. Apart from the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes, only three major events have struck the state of Tennessee, in 1843, 1865, and 1895. Several minor events have taken place as well. Background thumb|The skyline of Memphis. The earliest earthquakes known to have struck Tennessee were the series known as the New Madrid earthquakes, which rocked the Midwestern United States from their base in Missouri. Damage consisted of fallen chimneys on buildings. More significant were major geologic changes, including sand volcanoes, fissures, and even sinking of land. Three major earthquake events occurred in Tennessee in 1843, 1865, and 1895. The 1843 event registered Mercalli intensities of VIII (Severe); it resulted in cracking walls, shattering windows, and toppling chimneys. Felt over an area of 1000000 km2 sqmi 0 us, the earthquake caused more alarm than damage in Western Tennessee.https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/tennessee/history.php Tennessee Earthquake History United States Geological Survey October 26, 2009 June 7, 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100117100824/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/tennessee/history.php January 17, 2010 Damage and intensity Shaking in 1865 felled chimneys in Memphis, and the earth "appeared to undulate", creating small waves on rivers nearby. The earthquake was felt from Illinois throughout the lower Mississippi Valley from Illinois to Mississippi. According to a 1993 paper by the United States Geological Survey, this event had a magnitude of 5.0 and a Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). This body wave magnitude was derived using either the felt area of the shock or an isoseismal map. In a 2009 report, "Tennessee Earthquake History", the USGS did not include the 1865 earthquake. It classified the 1843 temblor as having a greater Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), compared to the 1865 event. See also List of earthquakes in the United States List of historical earthquakes References Stover C.W. Coffman J.L. 1993 Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised) U.S. Geological Survey professional paper 1527 https://books.google.com/books?id=bY0KAQAAIAAJ Category:Earthquakes in the United States Category:Natural disasters in Tennessee Category:1865 earthquakes Category:1865 in Tennessee Category:August 1865 in the United States Category:1865 natural disasters in the United States Category:History of Memphis, Tennessee