New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811
By: Connor Beath
What caused the earthquake?
"Some Earth scientists suggest that the faulting of the NMSZ is the result of an underground hot spot, a section of Earth’s upper mantle that up-wells to melt through the crust. Other scholars maintain that the weakening of Earth’s crust in this area was caused by down-cutting (or river incision) of the Mississippi River between 10,000 and 16,000 years ago. In 2006 Canadian Earth scientist Alessandro Forte proposed an alternate explanation: that movement along the fault was caused by local changes to the mantle flow beneath the NMSZ" (Rafferty). This quote shows that there was a hot spot underneath New Madrid, which lead to the earthquake. It is important the scientists know what caused the earthquake so they can prepare for future earthquakes like this to happen. Also, they can hopefully detect them easier.
Picture of where the earthquake was felt
A picture of the destruction in New Madrid
A diagram of how the earthquake happened
How were the people and land affected?
Is there a possibility of another earthquake in the future?
Citations
- "New Madrid earthquakes of 1811–12." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2016. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
- "Scientists discover mechanism behind 'strange' earthquakes." Space Daily 1 Sept. 2015. General OneFile. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
- "Welcome to an Engaged Community." New Madrid, MO. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Connor Beath BIO
Email: 2006366@students.ankenyschools.org
Location: 111 No Name Avenue, Des Moines, IA, United States
Phone: 123-456-7890
Twitter: @connor_ray26