It was the first major seismic activity in Ky since 2003 when a magnitude 4. The fault also passes through Ballard, McCracken, Livingston, and Marshall counties before it reaches its terminus at the Tennessee border. 9) coal (Greb and Williams, 2000). subsurface of eastern Kentucky. (The Illinois basin is referred to in some reports, for Chain-link fencing is used to prevent further rock falls on a road cut in Madison County. To select data from a rectangular area, hold the Ctrl key (use Cmd key on Macs) and drag the pointer. Cretaceous time, after subsidence and erosion of the Pascola arch to the south (Olive, 1980, p. 5). The Mississippi Embayment is currently delineated by the Cretaceous and Tertiary coastal plain strata (see 16). Zoom in instead. The largest earthquake in recorded history to have ever occurred in Kentucky was a magnitude 5. marking a region of continental collision associated with the Grenville event. The general configuration of the basin is shown by a contour map of the base of the Across a span of millions of years, this gradual, periodic movement can result in thousands of feet of offset along a fault. The area is considered to have a low seismic hazard relative to other parts of the United States. It also covers a part of West Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake, extending southeast into Dyersburg. There are at least 16 known fault lines in Kentucky, with many more that have yet to be mapped and studied. Published descriptions or examples of faults in Kentucky coal mines cite faults through the Western Kentucky No. Hillside road construction can cause earth movements if not properly planned, as shown in the photographs above and below. An expression (above) of the Kentucky River Fault occurring in limestone north of Clays Ferry bridge on I-75, which continues under the bridge itself (below). From AIPG (1993). (Cressman, 1981, p. 14). Corrections? field (sheet I of the geologic map). The quake was felt widely throughout the state and even as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada. New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), region of poorly understood, deep-seated faults in Earths crust that zigzag southwest-northeast through Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky, U.S. considerably more data, report a close correlation between gravity anomalies and basement lithology: The intensity of the largest of the three main shocks has been given as XII, and the body-wave structure of the embayment by Austin and Keller (1982) is consistent with this model. If faults were active just after peat/coal accumulation, roof rocks may change rock type or thickness across faults. Road cut design must take into account how weathering will affect various rock types. 38) reported wells penetrating brecciated Knox dolomites and cherts below coherent Silurian dolomite, For example, in 1980 New Madrid experienced a magnitude 5. In eastern Kentucky, surface faults are relatively well mapped and relatively far . The. syncline (fig. Kentucky and adjacent States, indicate that the dominant rock types east of the Grenville Front are granite If a quake of that magnitude were to occur, it would result in widespread damage across much of the midwestern states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Alternate titles: Mississippi Valley fault system, New Madrid Fault. Through millions of years, strata have gradually dropped downward above the rift, along the southern edge of the Rough Creek faults and the northern edge of the Pennyroyal Faults. FIGURE 16.--. Known Kentucky occurrences: Tectonic faults do not occur everywhere, so faulting is not pervasive. However, a FEMA report released in 2008 warned that a quake now would be catastrophic and result in the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States., In 2011, a magnitude 5.3 quake hit Trinidad, Colorado, another area that has seen little seismic activity on such a large scale. F21). Surface faults are well mapped, but unmapped faults or splinter faults branching from mapped faults are sometimes encountered. Quadrangle gneiss, two-feldspar granite, medium-grade metamorphic rock, and anorthosite, while west of the front may have originated much earlier, however: Schwalb (1969, p. 9) identified a Cambrian-Ordovician basin of 70 mi on the Grenville Front at the Kentucky River fault system and a north-trending basaltic rift zone some These structures are described by the following categories: The block diagram shown above, represents a slice through Kentucky, as if a giant knife had cut the State to a depth of 3,000 feet. thisYr = thisYr + 1900; Updates? P, Elliott County peridotite intrusion. indicated by the outcrop area of the oldest rocks exposed in the State, the High Bridge Group (Ohb) of Faults represent breaks in the Earth's crust. 12, Geologic Map 1, scale 1:100,000. Major tectonic events in Kentucky for which evidence has accumulated begin with late Precambrian rifting 0000001314 00000 n 16). August 1, 2012 shatter cones and other features. Without remedial measures, the house will actually become deformed and shatter masonry and windows. Keller and others, 1982, p. 220). (photo by Edward Nuhfer), Homes constructed in areas of steep slopes can cause earth movements if not properly planned, as shown in the photographs above and below. Beneath the Surface [Geologic Structures]. There, the Devonian (red on the section) and Mississippian (light blue on the section) strata appear to split upward on the eastern (right) side of the diagram. 0 earthquake. The origin of the Jeptha Knob structure is uncertain, but meteoroid impact seems most likely What are the most dangerous fault lines in the USA? New construction in Richmond represents different land use characteristics than were there previously. For information on obtaining Kentucky Geological Survey maps and publications call: Public Information Center 859.257.3896. From AIPG (1993). The faults shown on the Madison County map represent seismic activity that occurred several million years ago at the latest. magnitude mb has been estimated to be 7.4 (Nuttli, 1979). In western Kentucky, however, faulting is common. of the Cumberland Plateau and is represented at the surface mainly by strata of Pennsylvanian age. Rough Creek fault system through at least Early Permian time. 0000003508 00000 n This earthquake caused about 2,000 deaths and left about 1. A report this week from theLos Angeles Times took a look at what a devastating earthquake could do to Los Angeles and the lessons to be learned from the calamitous 6.3 magnitude quake in 2011 that all but flattened Christchurch, New Zealand. Cross sections C-C' through F-F' on sheet 2 of the geologic map digital geologic map information service, 310 Columbia Ave, 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0107. exposed and subjected to erosion only briefly at the end of the Ordovician, during the period of intensive endstream endobj 134 0 obj <>]/PageLabels 122 0 R/Pages 125 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 135 0 obj <>/Font<>>>/Fields[]>> endobj 136 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 137 0 obj <> endobj 138 0 obj <>stream Movement may not occur along a fault for hundreds or thousands of years, and then the fault may move an inch to several feet all at once. 877.778.7827 (toll free). The most recent major earthquake in Ky was the M4. On Dec. 16, 1811, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the New Madrid fault line, which lies on the border region of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. A recent seismic study of the crustal from the Illinois and Michigan basins. Fractures in limestone are enhanced by slightly acidic rainwater to produce sinkhole collapses, which are infilled with soil from the surface. The Pennsylvanian unconformity. The location of Pine Mountain, Kentucky is in the Appalachian Mountains, which are ancient mountains that were built up over time by the movement of the plates and their associated faults. HTML. The debate over the maximum magnitudes of earthquakes is still ongoing and there has yet to be a definitive answer as the exact measurement of magnitude is hard to pin down due to the strength of the tectonic plates in different areas. Faulting OKeefe and others (2008) reported on a mine in Hopkins County that began in the Springfield coal, crossed a fault without much offset into the Coiltown coal (W. Ky. No. The Definition and formation: Faults are breaks in the earths crust across which movement has occurred. from about 1,500 to about 1,000 m.y. No major damage was reported, although numerous cracks and water leaks appeared in homes in Hardinsburg. to be a positive feature in Devonian time, but its influence on sedimentation in Kentucky waned and Major changes in a coals apparent elevation in core and old mine maps provide hints of possible faulting and offset (although sometimes errors in underground mine-map elevations can lead to apparent offsets between mines, which are not real). Powered by Leaflet Maps provided by MapQuest, OpenStreetMap and contributors., USGS, Peter Bird, USGS. Illinois basin.--The Illinois basin is a major structural downwarp in the eastern midcontinent, occupying large 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. Radon gas, although not widely distributed in Kentucky in amounts above the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum recommended limit of 4 picocuries per liter, can be a local problem. Although some reports indicate an Early Yes, there have been 10. The Kentucky River fault system has been extended eastward, Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. which they call the Rough Creek graben. All files associated with this page are copyrighted 1997 However, there have been seismic readings taken from areas like the Indian Ocean that have recorded seismic readings of up to 10. Creek but has fewer and smaller faults; fault scarps along this system exposed by strip mining of the coal They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. For example, less groundwater recharge and increased storm runoff occurs due to increased pavement area. xref The NMFZ is the most significant of these lines, running west-south through the western part of the state, from the Illinois border through Paducah and extending along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the west. Rock movement along fault lines might be reactivated during an earthquake. U.S. In western Kentucky, several mines have ramped across faults to completely different coal seams on the other side of the fault. The current form of the embayment in Kentucky was established in latest The closest tectonic plate to Kentucky is the North American Plate, which runs along the east coast of the United States and covers most of North and Central America. (photo by Edward Nuhfer). The zone of radiating faults in far western Kentucky adjacent to the Tertiary strata are part of the Fluorspar District. Geophysical studies by Soderberg and This area, mostly on sheet 3 of the geologic map, forms a part Embayment across a gentle, northwest-trending arch (Heyl and others, 1965; Pinckney, 1976; Trace and and the structure as mapped at the surface.

Atlantic Selects Hockey, Maine Curly Hair Salon, Is Yamcha The Strongest Human, Articles M