Wabash Valley

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The Wabash River, shown within its drainage basin. Wabashrivermap.png
The Wabash River, shown within its drainage basin.

The Wabash Valley is a region located in sections of both Illinois and Indiana. It is named for the Wabash River and, as the name is typically used, spans the middle to the middle-lower portion of the river's valley and is centered at Terre Haute, Indiana. The term Wabash Valley is frequently used in local media in Clinton, Lafayette, Mount Carmel, Princeton, Terre Haute, and Vincennes all of which are either on or near the Lower Wabash River.

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Counties

Counties in the Wabash Valley include Posey, Gibson, Vigo, Clay, Sullivan, Vermillion, Parke, Greene, Putnam, Owen, Knox, Daviess, Martin, Fountain, Tippecanoe and Warren counties in Indiana. The Illinois portion consists of Clark, Edgar, Crawford, Jasper, Cumberland, Coles, Douglas, Gallatin, Edwards, Wabash, and White counties. It also may or may not include, depending on the source, Montgomery county in Indiana, and Lawrence, Richland, Vermillion, Champaign, Clay, and Effingham counties in Illinois due to the Little Wabash River.[ citation needed ]

Seismic activity

The Wabash Valley Fault System in southeastern Illinois, southwestern Indiana, and adjacent corner of Kentucky extends about 60 miles north-northeastward from just north of the Shawneetown and Rough Creek Fault Zones. A Magnitude 5.2 quake took place in the Wabash zone [1] on April 18, 2008 at 09:37 UTC (04:37 CDT), about 41 miles NNW of Evansville, Indiana, near the community of Bellmont, Illinois. [2] It was felt all across southern Illinois, southern Indiana, western and central Kentucky and eastern Missouri, waking people up in Chicago and St. Louis, 123 miles away. [3] [4] This was followed by several aftershocks and a second, magnitude 4.6 quake at 15:14 UTC (10:14 CDT). [5] There were no injuries or serious damage reported late Friday morning, April 18, 2008. [6] In Mt. Carmel, Illinois, 15 southeast of the epicenter, a woman was reported trapped in her home by a collapsed porch but was quickly freed and wasn't hurt, said Mickie Smith, a police dispatcher there. [6]

The earthquake occurred on the 102nd anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The largest quake claimed to have taken place in this Zone was a 5.4 earthquake in 1968.[ citation needed ]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermillion County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes</span> Series of earthquakes during 1811-1812 impacting on Missouri USA

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Madrid Seismic Zone</span> Major seismic zone in the southern and midwestern United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 Alabama earthquake</span> Earthquake near Fort Payne, Alabama in 2003

The 2003 Alabama earthquake took place on April 29 at 3:59 A.M. Central Daylight Time eight miles (13 km) east-northeast of Fort Payne, Alabama. The number of people who felt this quake was exceptionally high as the earthquake could be felt in 11 states across the East Coast and as far north as southern Indiana. The earthquake was strongly felt throughout metropolitan Atlanta. The Georgia Building Authority was called out to inspect the historic Georgia State Capitol in downtown Atlanta and other state-owned buildings but found no problems. However, this is not out of the ordinary as earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains can be felt several times the area felt on West Coast earthquakes. The earthquake was given a magnitude 4.6 on the moment magnitude scale by the USGS and reports of the duration of the shaking range from 10 seconds to as long as 45 seconds. It is tied with a 1973 earthquake near Knoxville, Tennessee as the strongest earthquake ever to occur in the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is the second most active seismic zone east of the Rocky Mountains, with the New Madrid Seismic Zone the most active.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabash Valley Seismic Zone</span>

The Wabash Valley Seismic Zone is a tectonic region located in the Midwest of the United States, centered on the valley of the Lower Wabash River, along the state line between southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Chino Hills earthquake</span>

The 2008 Chino Hills earthquake occurred at 11:42:15 am PDT on July 29 in Southern California. The epicenter of the magnitude 5.4 earthquake was in Chino Hills, c. 28 miles (45 km) east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Though there were no deaths, eight people were injured, and it caused considerable damage in numerous structures throughout the area and caused some amusement park facilities to shut down their rides. The earthquake led to increased discussion regarding the possibility of a stronger earthquake in the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1909 Wabash River earthquake</span>

The 1909 Wabash River earthquake occurred at 04:45 local time on September 27 with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. It measured 5.1 on a seismic scale that is based on an isoseismal map or the event's felt area. With moderate damage in the Wabash River Valley, it is currently the strongest earthquake recorded in the U.S. state of Indiana. The earthquake occurred somewhere along a fault within the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone.

The 1998 Pymatuning earthquake occurred in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania on September 25 at 19:52 UTC. With a magnitude of 5.2 mbLg, it was the largest recorded earthquake in Pennsylvania's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Illinois earthquake</span> Largest recorded earthquake in Illinois, US

The 1968 Illinois earthquake was the largest recorded earthquake in the U.S. Midwestern state of Illinois. Striking at 11:02 am on November 9, it measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. Although no fatalities occurred, the event caused considerable structural damage to buildings, including the toppling of chimneys and shaking in Chicago, the region's largest city. The earthquake was one of the most widely felt in U.S. history, largely affecting 23 states over an area of 580,000 sq mi (1,500,000 km2). In studying its cause, scientists discovered the Cottage Grove Fault in the Southern Illinois Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Baja California earthquake</span> Earthquake in Mexico

The 2010 Baja California earthquake occurred on April 4 with a moment magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. The shock originated at 15:40:41 local time south of Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico.

A potent magnitude 6.6 Mw intraplate aftershock occurred at 17:16 JST (08:16 UTC) on 11 April, in the Hamadōri region of Fukushima, Japan. With a shallow focus of 13 km (8.1 mi), the earthquake was centred inland about 36 km (22 mi) west of Iwaki, causing widespread strong to locally severe shaking. It was one of many aftershocks to follow the 11 March Tōhoku earthquake, and the strongest to have its epicentre located inland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Indiana earthquake</span> Earthquake in Indiana, United States

The 2010 Indiana earthquake registered 3.8 on the moment magnitude scale and struck near Greentown and Kokomo on December 30, 2010, at 12:55:21 UTC at a depth of 3 mi. The quake occurred approximately 50 miles north of Indiana's capital, Indianapolis. It joins only three other earthquakes that have affected the northern Indiana area since 1999. The “extremely rare and unprecedented” earthquake had the largest magnitude of a northern Indiana earthquake in 175 years. Despite being considered a rare occurrence, the affected region of northern Indiana lies near many fault lines including the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Both zones are hotspots for tectonic activity, with the Wabash Valley Fault Zone reaching earthquake depths up to 18 km (11.4 mi.) deep. It was incorrectly recorded by nearby stations as a 4.2 magnitude before being downgraded to 3.8. No significant damage was reported from the incident, but the quake was felt by thousands, spanning across multiple cities and states. Towns as far away as Kalamazoo, Michigan and states as far as Wisconsin and Kentucky reported the earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Oklahoma earthquake</span> 2011 earthquake near Prague, Oklahoma

The 2011 Oklahoma earthquake was a 5.7 magnitude intraplate earthquake which occurred near Prague, Oklahoma on November 5 at 10:53 p.m. CDT in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the vicinity of several active wastewater injection wells. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), it was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma; this record was surpassed by the 2016 Oklahoma earthquake. The previous record was a 5.5 magnitude earthquake that struck near the town of El Reno in 1952. The quake's epicenter was approximately 44 miles (71 km) east-northeast of Oklahoma City, near the town of Sparks and was felt in the neighboring states of Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri and even as far away as Tennessee and Wisconsin. The quake followed several minor quakes earlier in the day, including a 4.7 magnitude foreshock. The quake had a maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale in the area closest to the epicenter. Numerous aftershocks were detected after the main quake, with a few registering at 4.0 magnitude.

The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes of July 4 and 5 occurred north and northeast of the town of Ridgecrest, California located in Kern County and west of Searles Valley. They included three initial main shocks of Mw magnitudes 6.4, 5.4, and 7.1, and many perceptible aftershocks, mainly within the area of the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Eleven months later, a Mw  5.5 aftershock took place to the east of Ridgecrest. The first main shock occurred on Thursday, July 4 at 10:33 a.m. PDT, approximately 18 km (11.2 mi) ENE of Ridgecrest, and 13 km (8.1 mi) WSW of Trona, on a previously unnoticed NE-SW trending fault where it intersects the NW-SE trending Little Lake Fault Zone. This quake was preceded by several smaller earthquakes, and was followed by more than 1,400 detected aftershocks. The M 5.4 and M 7.1 quakes struck on Friday, July 5 at 4:08 a.m. and 8:19 p.m. PDT approximately 10 km (6 miles) to the northwest. The latter, now considered the mainshock, was the most powerful earthquake to occur in the state in 20 years. Subsequent aftershocks extended approximately 50 km (~30 miles) along the Little Lake Fault Zone.

On May 15, 2020 at 4:03:27 local time, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck ~35 miles (56 km) west of Tonopah, Nevada in the Monte Cristo Range near the California-Nevada border. It was Nevada's largest earthquake in 66 years.

References

  1. USGS. "USGS Fact Sheet 131-02: Earthquake Hazard in the Heart of the Homeland". pubs.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 2008-04-22.
  2. Magnitude 5.2 - ILLINOIS USGS
  3. Television reports, KSDK, "Early Today", April 18, 2008
  4. "Magnitude 5.2 - ILLINOIS". usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01.
  5. "Magnitude 4.6 - ILLINOIS". Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  6. 1 2 "Nope, you weren't dreaming -- chicagotribune.com". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2018-05-11."Chicago feels aftershock to Midwest quake", Chicago Tribune, April 18, 2008

Coordinates: 38°50′N87°30′W / 38.833°N 87.500°W / 38.833; -87.500