On Shaky Ground: The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812

3. The Earthquake's Reach

CHAPTER 3 The Earthquake's Reach "Chimneys fell in Cincinnati. Sidewalks buckled in Baltimore. Church bells rang In Boston." - David Stewart and Ray Knox, The Earthquake that Never Went Away The New Madrid earthquakes affected an area of about one million square miles. Some places were affected more severely than others.Tremors could be felt in two-thirds ofwhatwas then the United States and its territories, from the Atlantic on the east to the Rocky Mountains on the west. The quakes were also felt north to Upper Canada and south to Mexico and Cuba. They were felt strongly at Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, on the Atlantic coast, a distance ofsome 600 miles. The Otoe Indians on the Nebraska-Kansas border felt the shocks; they were also about 600 miles from the earthquake site, but in the opposite direction. Mississippi Valley St. Louis, about 200 miles north of the first epicenter, felt the first tremors at about 2:15 A.M. on December 16. People were awakened by the rattling ofwindows and doors. They reported a rumbling sound, as if several carriages were passing over the 41 42 New Madrid Earthquake Photo Locations 10 15 20 25 S.a l e I n Mi l es o Epicenter • Slide Location MISSOURI On Shaky Ground Benton. 0 Lake Bell SI. City • John Lost G Lake .J~' .. O :xter N t ARKANSAS I I I Kennett r. , Lake , / Nicormy Big Lake '---e' Lake City • (f) KY. ijmiftbiiidfili idi1Mltj:Mfii o •Obion TENNESSEE Y MEMPHIS - 50 MILES Il9" This map shows the epicenters and times of the New Madrid earthquakes. (courtesy David Stewart and Ray Knox from The Earthquake that Never Went Away, 1993) The Earthquake's Reach 43 pavement. They also felt the later shocks ofthat morning, each of which lasted from several seconds to two minutes. Some chimneys were destroyed and some stone houses split. Caged birds fell from their perches, and many people vacated their homes. William Atkinson reports that a thick, hazy fog hung over the city. It is important to note that the location of St. Louis puts it outside the direct reach of the fault line; the line moves in a southwest to northeast direction from current Blytheville, Arkansas, to Cairo, Illinois. St. Louis is slightly west of that line and north of Cairo, the northernmost edge of the fault line. Atkinson reports that about fifty miles north of New Madrid at Jackson, Missouri, the tremors destroyed large trees, fences, and brick buildings. Haze and dark clouds blurred the sun for three days. In Kaskaskia, Illinois, closer to the fault line, he says that lithe earth rolled and waved violently. The church steeple bent, and the bell clanged loudly." Cattle ran through the streets in fear. As far south as what is now Vicksburg, Mississippi, the river claimed its banks, and islands had deep fissures and large sinkholes . Sinkholes, also called sand blows, were formed during the quakes when sand, coal, quartz, and other materials were forced out of the earth. What remains are circular depressions that are filled with sand or quicksand and ringed with carbonized wood and sand. Twenty acres of land next to the Mississippi River near Piney River, Tennessee, sank, so that the tops oftrees there were level with the land next to the sunken area. In other parts ofTennessee, people reported that shocks came daily for the rest of the year. In Columbia, Tennessee (170 miles to the east), residents claimed that the shocks lasted from ten to fifteen minutes. In Christian County, Kentucky (120 miles to the east of New Madrid), a clear spring became muddy and stayed muddy for hours. Roads from New Madrid to settlements in Arkansas 200 miles away became impassable with the first quake. The distance was lengthened to 300 miles for those who needed to make the trip. 44 On Shaky Ground I-t-++-+r NewMadrid o 2 3 4 5 Miles '~______~____~I______JI______~'____~' The curve of the Mississippi River where New Madrid is located is called the New Madrid Bend (also called Kentucky Bend), Mississippi River. New Madrid is now located almost due north of its location before the earthquake. This drawing shows the channel of the Mississippi River in about 1912 and the river's course before 1811. The Earthquake's Reach 45 Timothy Dudley of Jacksonville...