1895 Charleston earthquake

Earthquake affecting the Midwestern United States October 2024 1895 Charleston earthquake 1895-10-31 11:08:00 official18951031110800000 yes United States 1895 10 31 05:07 CST 5.8–6.6 w y 36.9 -89.3 region:TR_type:event inline,titleM 5.8 – Near Charleston, Missouri 1895 official18951031110800000 United States 8 2 fatalities, 7 injured 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 Stacey S. Hough Susan E. Where was the 31 October 1895 Charleston, Missouri, Earthquake? Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 2019 109 4 1479–1497 10.1785/0120180328 2019BuSSA.109.1479M 182215021 Martin and Hough postulated three different plausible events, a north-northwest rupture from Henson Lake to Charleston, a northeast rupture on the western boundary faults of the Reelfoot Rift, or north-northeast or north-northwest rupture within the rift. They concluded that the third event was most consistent with reports of the macroseismic effects, but not with liquefaction reports. It was also possible that the rupture involved more than one fault. Inferred aftershock locations suggest compatibility with the latter model, and agrees with the intensity distribution which suggest a northeast-propagating rupture. All three models indicate the earthquake was a buried rupture event along a 5–20 km fault. Earthquake 300px|thumb|right|An isoseismal map of the earthquake showing the felt area with varying intensities of shaking across the Midwest. The earthquake had an epicenter near Charleston, an inference made from on reports of soil liquefaction and strong shaking in the city. Extensive documentation of its macroseismic effects were used by researchers to determine its magnitude. Most existing scientific journals agree that the magnitude was about magnitude 6.0 or larger. A 1996 paper estimated the magnitude to be 6.6 w based on studying the intensity distribution.Johnston Arch C. Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions—III. New Madrid 1811–1812, Charleston 1886 and Lisbon 1755 Geophysical Journal International 1996 126 2 314–344 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1996.tb05294.x 1996GeoJI.126..314J free Recently (2019), seismologists Martin and Hough estimated the magnitude to be 5.8 w. An article published under Engineering Geology re-estimated the moment magnitude based on the Modified Mercalli intensity distribution and yielded 6.7.Chung Jaewon Okok Abdurraouf Rogers J. David Geologic impacts and calculated magnitudes of historic earthquakes in the central United States Engineering Geology 2021 280 10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105923 No foreshock activity preceded the mainshock, and there is limited documentation of the aftershocks. At Elwood, Indiana, a three-second local shock was felt on October 31, at 07:15. There were no reports of this shock being felt outside the city. One newspaper account stated that the ground "continued to vibrate for fully twenty minutes". In Cairo, Illinois, an aftershock was reported 15 minutes after the mainshock and may have been felt in Memphis, Tennessee; Hickman, Kentucky; and Hammond, Indiana. Additional aftershocks were felt on November 1 and December 31. Impact In Bardwell, Kentucky, an elderly man was "scared to death",The quake Thursday https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn86069395/1895-11-05/ed-1/?sp=1 Hopkinsville Kentuckian 5 November 1895 1 while in Avery, Iowa, a worker was killed by falling slate at a mine. An explosion due to a ruptured gas pipe in Cincinnati, Ohio injured seven people. In Reelfoot Lake, thousands of "stunned or dead" fishes floated at the surface.That earthquake https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ndnp/kyu/batch_kyu_casablanca_ver01/data/sn86069457/00206533262/1895110701/0872.pdf 16 22 The Crittenden Press 7 November 1895 The earthquake is considered the largest and most destructive in the area since 1812. Building damage and liquefaction was observed along a linear path from Bertrand (in Missouri) to Cairo. Sand volcanoes were observed in some areas north and south of Charleston. Charleston experienced extensive damage; collapsed chimneys, broken windows and plasters occurred on schools, homes, churches and commercial buildings across the town. At Cairo, chimneys and windows of most buildings were destroyed. The town courthouse, library, and a church was seriously damaged. Many buildings large cracks to its brick walls. A pier on the Ohio River was cracked.Stover C. W. Coffman J.L. Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (revised) 1993 418 https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1527 10.3133/pp1527 Professional Paper 1527 2027/uc1.31822016474439 free In Chicago, Illinois, all 12,000 telephone exchange were activated simultaneously. Many residents were awakened by rattling windows, although there was minimal damage. At St. Louis, Missouri, frightened residents rushed out of their homes. There was relatively little damage to old masonry buildings. Two chimneys in Memphis, Tennessee toppled during the shaking. Light shaking was felt at McKeesport and Bellevue, Pennsylvania. Buildings as far away as Indianapolis and Kansas City shook, awakening residents.1895 Halloween earthquake https://files.isgs.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/files/eq-fct-hal.pdf Illinois Department of Natural Resources Illinois State Geological Survey July 28, 2022 1995 See also List of historical earthquakes List of earthquakes in the United States List of earthquakes in Illinois References Category:1895 earthquakes Category:Natural disasters in Missouri Category:Earthquakes in the United States Category:Natural disasters in Illinois Category:1895 in Missouri Category:1895 in Illinois Category:October 1895 in the United States Category:Mississippi County, Missouri Category:Natural disasters in Ohio Category:Natural disasters in Iowa Category:1895 in Iowa Category:1895 in Ohio Category:1895 in Tennessee Category:Buried rupture earthquakes