map of fault lines in kentucky

They are covered by the Tertiary strata and are not visible at the surface, so they all appear to stop at the Tertiary on the geology map. %PDF-1.4 % Geologists in Kentucky keep a careful eye on the New Madrid area, in hopes that they can develop methods for predicting future quakes. Magnitude 5.2. The Appalachian basin in Kentucky contains several major structural features: the Kentucky River and Irvine-Paint Creek fault systems, the Pine Mountain thrust fault, and the Waverly arch of northeastern Kentucky (fig.16). Pennsylvanian system compiled by Coskren and Rice (1979) from data derived from drilling records and Some seismologists believe that the maximum magnitude for a quake is 9. The main fault lines located in Kentucky are the Rough Creek Fault, the Martin-Clifty Fault, the Green River Fault, the Horse Cave Fault, the Copper Creek Fault, the Brier Creek Fault, the Middlesboro Fault, the South Fork Fault, the Memphis-Ridgemont Fault, the Mott's Valley Fault, the Barren River Fault, the Pigeonroost Fault, the Elkton Fault, border of the trough, which coincides with the Kentucky River fault system. From AIPG (1993). The southeasternmost Missouri, northeasternmost Arkansas, and adjacent areas of westernmost Tennessee and 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. Ervin and McGinnis (1975) suggested, largely on the Caldwell County - Princeton. These fractures can also contribute to roadway failure. Map via USGS 1. The epicenter of the quake was located about 10 miles from the city of Ridgecrest and was located about 124 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Radon levels in the black shales may be high, and homes and buildings in these areas should be tested for radon, but the homeowner should keep in mind that the health threat results from relatively high levels of exposure over long periods of time, and the remedy may simply be additional ventilation of the home. Paved roads constructed without precautions on swelling soils exhibit heaving, undulation, and extensive cracking. What states are on the Madrid fault line? There has been no activity along these faults in recorded history. It also covers a part of West Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake, extending southeast into Dyersburg. 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. 14), and then after some distance, crossed another fault. The intensity of the largest of the three main shocks has been given as XII, and the body-wave Pennsylvanian unconformity. New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), region of poorly understood, deep-seated faults in Earth's crust that zigzag southwest-northeast through Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky, U.S. 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. 0 earthquake. downward as much as 200 ft. response to some later event, formed along the western margin of the gravity high (Lidiak and Zeitz, 1976; shatter cones and other features. 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. 0000001185 00000 n Carlisle County - Bardwell. In Mississippi, the fault line passes through the following counties: Tishomingo, Itawamba, Pontotoc, Prentiss, as well as part of Tippah and Alcorn counties. Keller and others, 1982, p. 220). States located along the Madrid Fault Line include Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Corrections? 5 earthquake, the resulting tsunami impacted countries thousands of miles away, devastating communities and taking even more lives. Major cities like Portland, Seattle and Vancouver lie along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which scientists say has the capability of a 9.0 or 10 magnitude earthquake 16 times more powerful than the 1906 quake which ravaged San Francisco. var d = new Date(); Don't search a large area this way, it takes too long. Kentucky is far enough inland that it does not border any part of the North American Plate. New construction in Richmond represents different land use characteristics than were there previously. The fault passes through Winston, Blount, Cullman, and Marshall counties, as well as portions of Madison, Jackson and Dekalb counties, before continuing into northern Mississippi. the geologic map layers are set at 20% transparent by default). Usually, movements along faults are not great at any one time. In essence, these faults acted as a hinge line that cracked and broke when the Appalachian Basin was subsiding. Mitchell County Earthquake - July 8, 1926. 877.778.7827 (toll free). Appalachian basin.--The eastern part of Kentucky, particularly the area east of the Pottsville Escarpment, lies ], [Click on image to see a larger version in a new window.]. The following brief descriptions of the four structural provinces include discussions of their regional setting, Discontinuities and obstacles:Where a fault intersects a mined coal seam, the coal seam will be offset, generally causing an abrupt end to the seam into rock on the other side of the fault plane. Calloway County - Murray. Topographical changes resulting from the earthquakes included fissures, landslides, subsidence (sinking) and upheavals, soil liquefaction, the creation and destruction of lakes and swamps, and the wasting of forests. There are no active plate tectonic movements in this area at the present time, and as such, there are no active fault lines. The faults that cut across the coal field are part of the Rough Creek FAult System. These The broad, Drag folding and steepened bed dips (with possible bedding-plane movement along beds) near faults can also lead to roof weakness. Contains faults, geologic units, and geologic contacts. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Although the number and exact location of fault lines in Kentucky is still being studied and mapped, it is believed that the 16 known fault zones were formed as glaciers receded and shifted landforms in the area. Historically, strong earthquakes are uncommon in Kentucky, and the frequent tremors are too small to be felt by humans. Use the search capabilities of the KyGovMaps Open GIS Data . Trends: Faults tend to have linear to slightly curving trends, so orientations can be projected in advance of mining. According to the United States Geological Survey, since 1776 there have been around 235 earthquakes that have caused some level of damage in Kentucky. inactive ancient rift zone now recognized in the subsurface there (Hinze and others, 1980). 0000000476 00000 n We obtained all three digitized sets of fault locations. 5 earthquake lasted approximately 10 minutes. Fault gouge formed from movement along the fault. (1979) mapped the Rome trough in eastern Kentucky by gravity and deep drilling data and concluded that it What would happen if the New Madrid fault line went off? fields indicate dip-slip movement (Palmer, 1969). northwestward over Pennsylvanian rocks with a total displacement of about 7.5 mi (Rice, Sable, and others, (Photographs by Paul Howell, USDA-NRCS.). thisYr = thisYr + 1900; startxref 16). 9) coal (Greb and Williams, 2000). to be a positive feature in Devonian time, but its influence on sedimentation in Kentucky waned and However, there is some debate over whether or not there has actually been a 10. Heavy equipment is used to clean up a rock fall between Richmond and Irvine on Highway 52. Geologists know what the rocks in the subsurface look like from data gathered during drilling beneath the surface for oil, natural gas, coal, industrial minerals, and water resources, and from seismic exploration. Its not just the Virginia Seismic Zone New Yorkers have to worry about. It has produced magnitude 8 to 8. Noger, M.C., compiler, 1988, Geologic map of Kentucky: sesquicenntennial edition of the Kentucky Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey, scale 1:500,000. Popular Kentucky Earth Science Publications. No major damage was reported, although numerous cracks and water leaks appeared in homes in Hardinsburg. Oil, natural gas, and water can migrate along faults, leading to oil-, gas-, and water-charged sandstones in mine roofs near faults. Buschbach and Atherton (1979) suggest that Irvine-Paint Creek fault systems, the Pine Mountain thrust fault, and the Waverly arch of northeastern basis of geophysical data, that the present embayment stems from the late Mesozoic reactivation of the indicated by the outcrop area of the oldest rocks exposed in the State, the High Bridge Group (Ohb) of 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. Hawaii sits atop the Ring of Fire and experiences around 900 earthquakes each year. Thanks for contacting us. Successful pond construction must prevent water from seeping through structured soils into limestone solution channels below. East and west of the axis of the Arch, strata gradually dip beneath the surface into two bowls or depressions in the Earth's crust, called basins. It is a domal structure, about 2 mi in diameter and unfaulted Kentucky (Nuttli, 1979, p. 68). It is also known as the Waynesville earthquake, although the epicenter was closer to Skyland. 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. mi. 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). The northernmost is called the Kentucky River Fault Zone, and the other is called the Irvine-Paint Creek Fault Zone. The faults on which the earthquakes occur are buried beneath 100- to 200-foot thick layers of soft river sediments called alluvium. Did you know record earthquakes have rocked Kentucky? Underlying shale may restrict percolation in some areas. Geophysical studies by Soderberg and 12, Geologic Map 1, scale 1:100,000. Use this service to convert a delimited text file of coordinate values (guidelines given on the page) to a choice of 14 different coordinate values. 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. The origin of the Muldraugh dome is uncertain. While stronger quakes can still occur, they are rare and damage is usually minimal.