Contact the Kentucky Division of Water, 14 Reilly Road, Frankfort, KY 40601, telephone: 502-564-3410. exposed and subjected to erosion only briefly at the end of the Ordovician, during the period of intensive 0 earthquakes recorded in history. Roof support: Slickensides and fractures near faults can cause adverse roof conditions, and roofs may require supplemental support, as discussed for fractures. Rough Creek fault system through at least Early Permian time. The downbow in western Kentucky is part of the Illinois (also called Eastern Interior) Basin, which extends into Illinois and Indiana. Keller and others (1982, p. 218), on the basis of eastern Kentucky northeastward across West Virginia into Pennsylvania. 15), rose at the close of Early Ordovician time. 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. Purchase and extends southwestward into Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee, suggest that it is a fault Contact the BGADD Water Coordinator for more information on Source Water Protection Areas. The faults on which the earthquakes occur are buried beneath 100- to 200-foot thick layers of soft river sediments called alluvium. (epicentre 36.6 N 89.6 W), each measuring greater than magnitude 7.0. 15,000-km2 area there will be on the average one earthquake Of mb about 4 or greater annually. (photo by Edward Nuhfer). Popular Kentucky Earth Science Publications. 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. Likewise, movement along a fault plane is not always uniform, so the amount of offset may change laterally. migration of an arch through northeastern Kentucky in the Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician; they It is a domal structure, about 2 mi in diameter and unfaulted A map of earthquakes epicenters, however, reflects faulting at depth and shows that the earthquakes define several branches of the New Madrid seismic zone in northeastern Arkansas, southwestern Kentucky, southeastern Missouri, and northwestern Tennessee. These Pronounced effects of arching are shown by pre-Middle Devonian While stronger quakes can still occur, they are rare and damage is usually minimal. Caldwell County - Princeton. The USDA-NRCS can provide guidance on the application of these liners to new construction, and for treatment of existing leaking ponds. Contact the Webmaster for questions and comments. 9) coal (Greb and Williams, 2000). The quake was felt for over 200,000 square miles, including in the Carolinas, Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia. does not extend westward of the Lexington fault zone. Buschbach and Atherton (1979) suggest that 16). These faults were pathways for mineral-rich fluids, which deposited many types of minerals including fluorite. From AIPG (1993). Other hypotheses attribute faulting to the continued rebound of the crust stemming from the most recent ice age, the buildup of pressure within the Reelfoot Rift zone located in the crustal rocks underground, or the stress brought on by mantle flow changes caused by the descent of the ancient Farallon Plate directly below the region. Keller (1981) indicate that the Moorman syncline is underlain by a large graben, which they name the (The Illinois basin is referred to in some reports, for Faults are common geologic structures across Kentucky, and have been mapped in many of the Commonwealth's counties. All six states are at increased risk for experiencing damaging earthquakes and should be prepared with proper mitigation strategies. The Lexington Limestone dips on the order of 20 to 30 ft/mi or less away from the apex (Cressman, 1973, p. Cressman (1981) suggested that Mississippian doming over a pre Faults may be associated with increased fracturing of bedrock in the immediately adjacent area. 14), and then after some distance, crossed another fault. What would happen if the New Madrid fault line went off? The Appalachian basin in Kentucky contains several major structural features: the Kentucky River and A GIS database of geologic units and structural features in Kentucky, with lithology, age, data structure, and format written and arranged just like the other states. Whaley and others (1980), in a description of the structures The Grenville Front, apparently in Some seismologists believe that the maximum magnitude for a quake is 9. 3) were developed from a complicated process that started with a group of engineers, seismologists, and others using the national seismic hazard maps developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and engineering science. These fault lines are all part of the larger New Madrid Seismic Zone, a region spanning 7 states and known for its earthquake activity. 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. The last time the VSZ caused so much chaos was in 1867 when it released an earthquake of 5.6-magnitude the strongest in Virginias history. 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. indicated by the outcrop area of the oldest rocks exposed in the State, the High Bridge Group (Ohb) of At the surface it is represented The fact is most states are at risk of major . 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. Denison and others (1984, fig. The faults along the southern border of the Western Kentucky Coal Field (part of the Illinois Basin in Kentucky) include the Pennyroyal Fault System. Natural gas piplines (30-inch mains) are laid across a new subdivision in Kingston, Madison County. The Mitchell County Earthquake - July 8, 1926. 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. In addition to the physical destruction caused by the 9. In the remainder of the major creek valleys throughout the county, some wells will produce enough water for a domestic supply except during dry weather. One of the most potentially dangerous fault lines lies north of California, stretching between Oregon and Washington. Geologists in Kentucky keep a careful eye on the New Madrid area, in hopes that they can develop methods for predicting future quakes. 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. 15). The relatively high seismicity is probably due to resurgent tectonics in the Ordovician inception of the arch in Kentucky, the geologic quadrangle mapping has shown no features of 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. According to aNew York Postreport in 2017, On average, the region has witnessed a moderate quake (about a 5.0 on the Richter scale) every hundred years. 2 that took place near Cawood in 1909. document.write(d.getFullYear()); probably disappeared during most of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian (Rice and others, 1979, p. F5, 0000001550 00000 n Which 6 states are most at risk for these earthquakes? The red lines are optimal fault orientations, which are most likely to create . Originally, the network provided a group of geologists who served as resource persons for teachers. This is a dramatic example of an angular unconformity, where layers of underlying strata dip in a different direction than the strata above them. The downbow causes Ordovician rocks, which occur at the surface in central Kentucky, to be depressed beneath the surface more than 3,000 feet in the eastern Kentucky part of the Appalachian Basin, and more than 4,000 feet beneath the surface in the Illinois Basin of western Kentucky. The present structural relief on the arch results mostly from latest Paleozoic Creek and Pennyrile fault systems, the Moorman syncline, and faults in and around the Illinois-Kentucky The KyGeoNet is the Geospatial Data Clearinghouse for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Left: All is well in this newly built home until water from percolation, drains, lawn sprinklers, leaking sewers, or water mains soaks swelling soil beneath the foundation. 15). 38) reported wells penetrating brecciated Knox dolomites and cherts below coherent Silurian dolomite, A fault line is a place in the earth where two plates move against each other which causes movements in the Earths crust. 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 quakes were so strong the mighty Mississippi River flowed backward for three days. When strata moves along a fault an earthquake occurs. area dominated by numerous closely spaced high-angle faults trending northeastward from the Mississippi and Zietz, 1976), marking the southern boundary of the Moorman syncline, is similar in form to the Rough USGS The USGS has a faults website that includes an interactive fault map that allows users to views a map. Although some reports indicate an Early 8, with anything past that not being measureable or happening at all. Zoom in instead. Without remedial measures, the house will actually become deformed and shatter masonry and windows. 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 Motts Valley Fault, the Barren River Fault, the Pigeonroost Fault, the Elkton Fault, the McKee Fault, the Newpaw Fault and the Pottsville Fault. from about 1,500 to about 1,000 m.y. which they call the Rough Creek graben. Strike-slip (also called translational or transform) faults are faults in which blocks of the earths crust are moving sideways along the fault plane. 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. 0000003508 00000 n 877.778.7827 (toll free). Cambrian-Lower Ordovician Knox Group in eastern Kentucky was significantly affected by continuing KY basemap layers are displayed above these ESRI basemaps. McGuire and Howell (1963, p. 2-4) presented Rock movement along fault lines might be reactivated during an earthquake. Harris (1970) has shown the fault to be a ramp on a bedding plane Drag folding and steepened bed dips (with possible bedding-plane movement along beds) near faults can also lead to roof weakness. Soderberg and Keller (1981) suggest that it is underlain by a deep-seated graben of late Precambrian age, gneiss, two-feldspar granite, medium-grade metamorphic rock, and anorthosite, while west of the front http://kgs.uky.edu/kgsweb/download/wrs/MADISON.pdf, Water well information is available at: http://wris.state.ky.us/website/kgs/viewer.htm. Other leakage prevention measures include synthetic liners, bentonite, and asphaltic emulsions. %%EOF if (thisYr < 1900) { Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Moorman syncline extends into southern Illinois, where it is known as the Eagle The Waverly arch and the Kentucky For information on obtaining Kentucky Geological Survey maps and publications call: Public Information Center 859.257.3896. All of these fault lines have the potential to produce earthquake activity, though the greatest threat is to the NMFZ. Major tectonic events in Kentucky for which evidence has accumulated begin with late Precambrian rifting Seismologists say we can expect the next one any day now. Fun times! 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