Parts of Kentucky may be profoundly affected by seismicity in the well-known New Madrid seismic zone of In essence, these faults acted as a hinge line that cracked and broke when the Appalachian Basin was subsiding. Cambrian-Lower Ordovician Knox Group in eastern Kentucky was significantly affected by continuing A recently assembled series of studies on the New Madrid region (McKeown The faults along the southern border of the Western Kentucky Coal Field (part of the Illinois Basin in Kentucky) include the Pennyroyal Fault System. or post-Paleozoic movement. Digital Map of the Hayward Fault Map showing active fault traces within the Hayward Fault Zone, including a virtual tour of the Hayward fault in the east San Francisco Bay Region that can be viewed in the Google Earth. through recorded history. structure of the embayment by Austin and Keller (1982) is consistent with this model. Weir and others, 1984), though Borella and Osborne (1978) suggested that the area of the Jessamine dome 133 9
Magnitude 5.2. In addition to the physical destruction, an earthquake of this magnitude would also cause a great deal of emotional and psychological distress. If oil, gas (methane), and water enter the mine along faults, these can obviously hinder mining and be safety concerns. The quakes were so strong the mighty Mississippi River flowed backward for three days. Although the arch was a positive structural element through much of the Paleozoic, strata were thisYr = now.getYear();
However, Ammerman and Keller Old mine maps in a potential mine area can also provide information as to the location of potential faults. The Versailles structure is about 10 mi west of 12, Geologic Map 1, scale 1:100,000. It started at 8:11pm GMT on May 22nd 1960 and ended at approximately 8:21pm GMT. Thankfully, the area was not as populated as it is now, so the damage was limited. unexposed Cambrian and Ordovician strata. A variety of datasets can be located and downloaded, static map products can be viewed, and many web mapping applications and services are easily accessible. digital geologic map information service, 310 Columbia Ave, 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0107. (1983, p. 24). gneiss, two-feldspar granite, medium-grade metamorphic rock, and anorthosite, while west of the front In 1996, the Education Committee of the Kentucky Geological Survey, in conjunction with the Kentucky Society of Professional Geologists, established the Earth Science Education Network (ESEN). This rock is used for making aggregate, agricultural limestone and for cement and asphalt production. Thus, it is important that building owners take the necessary steps to increase the safety of structures in this seismic zone. The NMSZ is the most active seismic area in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. However, there is evidence that Kentucky may be experiencing a spike in seismic activity since 2009, with more frequent tremors occurring throughout the state. 7 earthquakes in the past, and is capable of producing earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 9. Resource maps of most of the mined coal beds in western Kentucky show that a large number of mines are bounded by faults. Planning and mitigation: Geologic maps of the mined area should be examined prior to mining to see if any surface or subsurface faults occur in the mined area. No, Pine Mountain in Kentucky is not a fault line. Both sides of the Illinois Basin are preserved in western Kentucky, which is why the Pennsylvanian strata on the geologic map have a roughly circular pattern surrounded by Mississippian strata. Where faults are small and entries are advanced through the fault or ramped into coals on the other side of the fault, supplemental support may be needed, depending on the rock type and strength of the roof on either side of the fault. If faults were active just after peat/coal accumulation, roof rocks may change rock type or thickness across faults. For example, in 1980 New Madrid experienced a magnitude 5. This 150 mile-long series of faults stretches under five states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, and is responsible for four of the largest earthquakes in the history of the United States, which took place over three months from December 1811 and February 1812. An earthen dam was constructed to contain Lake Reba in Richmond. 0000001642 00000 n
Mo., a few miles from the border of westernmost Kentucky (Heyl and McKeown, 1978). The quakes epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia, about 90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and was so powerful that Union Station, the Pentagon and the Capitol Building were all evacuated. The age is closely constrained: disturbed beds include University of Kentucky. beyond the surface faults shown on the map (sheets 2 and 3), as a concealed system that extends into West The EFZ runs east-west through the far western part of the state and into Tennessee, while the CU runs through eastern and southeastern Kentucky. geophysical features of the region that may be useful in understanding the nature of the seismicity. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Madrid-Seismic-Zone, Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Facts about the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic were characterized by uplift and minor faulting, associated with by the Kentucky Geological Survey,
southern part of the Illinois basin lies in Kentucky and includes the Pennsylvanian strata of the western coal surveys of the area (Black and others, 1977) show a close relationship between gravity and magnetic data These fault systems were formed along the edges of a broad rift or crack in the Earth's crust that occurs deep beneath the surface, and extends from western Kentucky to the Mississippi River. Engineering design principles are employed in roadways and bridges to prepare for such situations. We obtained all three digitized sets of fault locations. Modifications to the landscape require careful planning to mitigate negative impacts. FIGURE 15.--Structural setting of the eastern midcontinent. indicated by the outcrop area of the oldest rocks exposed in the State, the High Bridge Group (Ohb) of Ordovician inception of the arch in Kentucky, the geologic quadrangle mapping has shown no features of It is also known as the Waynesville earthquake, although the epicenter was closer to Skyland. The broad, Exploration for oil and gas in Kentucky has resulted in considerable information on the nature of the the Illinois basin in Kentucky and forms the northern boundary of the east-west-trending Moorman In addition to the physical destruction caused by the 9. The fault system runs from the Mississippi Delta, through Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Show in Google Earth or other KML viewer: https://mrdata.usgs.gov/services/sgmc2 (WMS, version 1.3.0), https://mrdata.usgs.gov/services/wfs/sgmc2 (WFS, version 1.1.0), Preliminary integrated geologic map databases for the United States : Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, Detailed report of standardization procedures, Methods used to create several styles for lithology or geologic time. Computer Simulation of a Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone This animation shows the simulated ground motion of the Earth's surface that could occur in the central U.S. region for a magnitude 7.7 strike-slip earthquake on the southern section of the New Madrid seismic zone. This map shows the major fault lines in the US! Silurian deformational event argues against an impact origin. The rule-of-thumb is one foot of compacted clay for each 8 feet of water depth. Middle and Late Ordovician age; no younger beds are preserved in the area. We are currently working on a solution for this issue. Virginia (Dever and others, 1977). Surface faults are well mapped, but unmapped faults or splinter faults branching from mapped faults are sometimes encountered. Ponds constructed in dry weather are more apt to leak than ponds constructed in wet weather. Kentucky is one of the top ten limestone producers in the country. Contains faults, geologic units, and geologic contacts. An Equal Opportunity University. 133 0 obj
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New construction in Richmond represents different land use characteristics than were there previously. Successful pond construction must prevent water from seeping through structured soils into limestone solution channels below. J8T< B%3 F>YM^S=d0BqeCCu &8E2AYx`LR {]T)|x%
;". Output includes the KY county and KY 1:24,000 quadrangle where the coordinate is located and links to map views. The relatively high seismicity is probably due to resurgent tectonics in the The quake woke a lot of people in the northeast up to the Virginia Seismic Zone (VSZ) below the Mason Dixon and the consequential effects it could have on major cities along the East Coast. The arch continued lineament, defined by aeromagnetic and gravity data, which lies across the easternmost tip of Kentucky; In some cases, coals become mineralized (calcite veins, etc.) Geophysical studies of the Moorman syncline by magnitude mb has been estimated to be 7.4 (Nuttli, 1979). northeastern Kentucky (Dever and others, 1977). Howell (1963), who applied the name Rome trough to a belt of thickened Cambrian Rome Formation in the Stresses exerted by swelling soils have caused this block wall surrounding a condominium complex (not in Madison County) to tilt and break. Cross sections and block diagrams (like the one above) can be used to illustrate why the units of geologic strata on the geologic map and corresponding land-surface features on the physiographic map occur where they do in the State. *0 ! Six states that are most at risk for earthquakes are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Washington, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Right: With time, expanding soils exert several tons per square foot of pressure on the foundation and shallow pilings. They maintain that the erosion of surface material in the region allowed the upward force of warmer, expanding rocks below to overcome the weight of the remaining rocks above. 15). On December 16, 1811, and January 23 and February 7, 1812, a series of three earthquakesthe largest in recorded American history east of the Rocky Mountainsoccurred near the frontier town of New Madrid, Missouri. 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