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39-550: The New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ), sometimes called the New Madrid fault line (or fault zone or fault system ), is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes (earthquakes within a tectonic plate ) in the Southern and Midwestern United States , stretching to the southwest from New Madrid, Missouri . The New Madrid fault system was responsible for the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes and has

78-593: A New Madrid earthquake was "overdue;" however, seismologists generally agree that no correlation exists between tides and earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) requested an evaluation of the prediction by an advisory board of earth scientists, who concluded, "the prediction does not have scientific validity." Despite the lack of scientific support, Browning's prediction was widely reported in international media, causing public alarm. The period passed with no major earthquake activity in New Madrid or along

117-510: A fact sheet in 2009 stating the estimate of a 7–10% chance of a New Madrid earthquake of magnitude comparable to one of the 1811–12 quakes within the next 50 years, and a 25–40% chance of a magnitude 6 earthquake in the same time frame. In July 2014, the USGS increased the risk assessment for the New Madrid area. 36°35′N 89°35′W  /  36.58°N 89.59°W  / 36.58; -89.59 Seismic zone A type of seismic zone

156-834: A majority of the Pacific Ocean . The Notorious San Andreas Fault , responsible for many major quakes in the West Coast of the United States , lies within the Circum-Pacific Seismic Belt or Ring of Fire. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Geological Survey . This seismology article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Marianna, Arkansas Marianna

195-417: A natural disaster in the United States," further predicting "widespread and catastrophic" damage across Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and particularly Tennessee, where a 7.7 magnitude quake would cause damage to tens of thousands of structures affecting water distribution , transportation systems , and other vital infrastructure . The earthquake

234-685: A part of West Tennessee near Reelfoot Lake , extending southeast into Dyersburg . It is southwest of the Wabash Valley seismic zone . The faults responsible for the NMSZ are embedded in a subsurface geological feature known as the Reelfoot Rift, which likely formed during the Cambrian Period . The Reelfoot Rift was first described by Ervin and McGinnis (1975) and believed to be of late Precambrian age. The rift failed to split

273-522: A research group based out of Northwestern University and Purdue University , funded by the USGS, reported in Science and other journals that the New Madrid system may be "shutting down" and that tectonic stress may now be accumulating elsewhere. Seth Stein, the leader of the research group, published these views in a book, Disaster Deferred , in 2008. Although some of these ideas have gained some acceptance among researchers, they have not been accepted by

312-505: A site near the present-day location of Memphis, the party was startled by a short period of ground shaking. Hundreds of aftershocks of the 1811–12 series followed over a period of several years. Aftershocks strong enough to be felt occurred until 1817. The largest earthquakes to have occurred since then were on January 4, 1843, and October 31, 1895 , with magnitude estimates of 6.0 and 6.6, respectively. The 1895 event had its epicenter near Charleston, Missouri . The quake damaged virtually all

351-561: A team composed of University of Illinois and Virginia Tech researchers headed by Amr S. Elnashai, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency , considered a scenario where all three segments of the New Madrid fault ruptured simultaneously with a total earthquake magnitude of 7.7. The report found that there would be significant damage in the eight states studied – Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee – with

390-631: Is Jimmy Williams, who took office on January 1, 2011. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Marianna has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Marianna was 109 °F (42.8 °C) on July 24, 1918, while the coldest temperature recorded was −11 °F (−23.9 °C) on January 12, 1918. As of the 2020 United States Census , there were 3,575 people, 1,545 households, and 831 families residing in

429-599: Is a Wadati–Benioff zone which corresponds with the down-going slab in a subduction zone. The world's greatest seismic belt, known as the Circum-Pacific seismic belt, is where a majority of the Earth's quakes occur. Approximately 81% of major earthquakes occur along this belt. The Circum-Pacific seismic belt has earned its own nickname and is often referred to as the Ring of Fire , a ring-like formation that encompasses

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468-612: Is a town in and the county seat of Lee County , Arkansas , United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,115, but by 2018 the population had dropped to an estimated 3,477. Located along the L'Anguille River in the Arkansas Delta just north of the St. Francis National Forest , the community was known as "Walnut Ridge" until 1852 when it became known as "Marianna". The town's economy has historically been based on agriculture, especially cotton production. The town

507-576: Is expected to result in many thousands of fatalities, with more than 4,000 of the fatalities expected in Memphis alone. The potential for the recurrence of large earthquakes and their effects today on densely populated cities in and around the seismic zone has generated much research devoted to understanding the NMSZ. By studying evidence of past quakes and closely monitoring ground motion and current earthquake activity, scientists attempt to understand their causes and recurrence intervals. In October 2009,

546-759: Is located along Crowley's Ridge Parkway and the Great River Road , both National Scenic Byways showcasing Crowley's Ridge and the Mississippi River . The community was established by Col. Walter H. Otey in 1848, and was known as Walnut Ridge until 1852. Marianna hosted minor league baseball . In 1909, the Marianna Brickeys team played as members of the Class D level Northeast Arkansas League , finishing in third place in their only season of minor league play. The Marianna use of

585-413: The "Brickeys" nickname corresponded to the city bricking the city streets in 1908. Marianna is located in the center of the county at the northwest tip of St. Francis National Forest . U.S. Route 79 passes through the north and west sides of the town, leading northeast 58 miles (93 km) to Memphis, Tennessee , and southwest 90 miles (140 km) to Pine Bluff . Arkansas Highway 1 passes through

624-508: The 120-mile (190 km) fault line. The lack of apparent land movement along the New Madrid fault system has long puzzled scientists. In 2009, two studies based on eight years of GPS measurements indicated that the faults were moving at no more than 0.2 mm (0.008 in.) per year. This contrasts to the rate of slip on the San Andreas Fault , which averages up to 37 mm (1.5 in) per year across California. On March 13, 2009,

663-508: The NMSZ remains a concern, and that the GPS data do not provide a compelling case for lessening perceived earthquake hazards in the region. One concern is that the small earthquakes that still happen are not diminishing over time, as would be if they were aftershocks of the 1811–12 events; another is that the 4,500-year archaeological record of large earthquakes in the region is more significant than 10 years of direct strain measurement. The USGS issued

702-643: The National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council, which advises the USGS. In the November 5, 2009, issue of Nature , researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Missouri said that due to the lack of fault movement, the quakes along the faults may only be aftershocks of the 1811–12 earthquakes. According to the USGS, a broad consensus exists that the possibility of major earthquakes in

741-735: The New Madrid seismic zone a young feature, or that earthquakes and the associated uplift migrate around the area over time, or that the NMSZ has short periods of activity interspersed with long periods of dormancy. Archaeological studies have found from studies of sand blows and soil horizons that previous series of very large earthquakes have occurred in the NMSZ in recent prehistory. Based on artifacts found buried by sand blow deposits and from carbon-14 studies, previous large earthquakes like those of 1811–12 appear to have happened around AD 1450 and 900, as well as around AD 300. Evidence has also been found for an apparent series of large earthquakes around 2350 BC. About 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of

780-559: The North American continent, but it has remained as an aulacogen (a scar or zone of weakness) deep underground. This relative weakness is important, as it would allow the relatively small east–west compressive forces associated with the continuing westward continental drift of the North American plate to reactivate old faults around New Madrid, making the area unusually prone to earthquakes in spite of it being far from

819-530: The St. Francis sunk lands extend back to 1682 and 1321, respectively, Van Arsdale et al. interpret the lack of similar signals elsewhere in the chronology as evidence against large New Madrid earthquakes between those years and 1811. The first known written record of an earthquake felt in the NMSZ was from a French missionary traveling up the Mississippi with a party of explorers. At 1 pm on Christmas Day 1699, at

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858-411: The area in 1974 to closely monitor seismic activity. Since then, more than 4,000 earthquakes have been recorded, most of which were too small to be felt. On average, one earthquake per year is large enough to be felt in the area. In a report filed in November 2008, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency warns that a serious earthquake in the NMSZ could result in "the highest economic losses due to

897-536: The buildings in Charleston, created sand volcanoes by the city, cracked a pier on the Cairo Rail Bridge , and toppled chimneys in St. Louis, Missouri ; Memphis, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama ; and Evansville, Indiana . The largest NMSZ earthquake of the 20th century was a 5.4-magnitude quake on November 9, 1968, near Dale, Illinois . The quake damaged the civic building at Henderson, Kentucky , and

936-481: The city. As of the census of 2010, there were 4,115 people, 1,664 households, and 1,068 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,440.0 inhabitants per square mile (556.0/km ). There were 2,196 housing units at an average density of 610.4 per square mile (235.7/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 20.9% White , 76.6% Black or African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.8% Asian , 0.0% from other races , and 1.3% from two or more races. 0.7% of

975-446: The individual effects of each quake can be difficult. Magnitude estimates and epicenters are based on interpretations of historical accounts and may vary. As uplift rates associated with large New Madrid earthquakes could not have occurred continuously over geological timescales without dramatically altering the local topography, studies have concluded that the seismic activity there cannot have gone on for longer than 64,000 years, making

1014-473: The nearest tectonic plate boundary. Since other ancient rifts are known to occur in North America, but not all are associated with modern earthquakes, other processes could be at work to locally increase mechanical stress on the New Madrid faults. Some form of heating in the lithosphere below the area has been suggested to be making deep rocks more plastic, which would concentrate compressive stress in

1053-565: The oldest bald cypress trees growing in Reelfoot Lake found evidence of the 1811–12 series in the form of fractures followed by rapid growth after their inundation, whereas cores taken from old bald cypress trees in the St. Francis sunklands showed slowed growth in the half century that followed 1812. These were interpreted as clear signals of the 1811–12 earthquake series in tree rings. As the tree ring record in Reelfoot Lake and

1092-434: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,664 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.8% were married couples living together, 31.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

1131-724: The potential to produce large earthquakes in the future. Since 1812, frequent smaller earthquakes have been recorded in the area. Earthquakes that occur in the New Madrid seismic zone potentially threaten parts of seven American states: Illinois , Missouri , Arkansas , Kentucky , Tennessee , and to a lesser extent Mississippi and Indiana . The 150-mile (240 km)-long seismic zone, which extends into five states, stretches southward from Cairo, Illinois ; through Hayti , Caruthersville , and New Madrid in Missouri; through Blytheville into Marked Tree in Arkansas. It also covers

1170-405: The presently defined NMSZ, but close enough to be associated with the Reelfoot Rift, near Marianna, Arkansas , two sets of liquefaction features indicative of large earthquakes have been tentatively identified and dated to 3500 and 4800 BC. These features were interpreted to have been caused by groups of large earthquakes timed closely together. Dendrochronology (tree ring) studies conducted on

1209-633: The private schools is Lee Academy. On January 21, 2009, the director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas announced the discovery of a major fault line near Marianna which could generate a 7.0 earthquake in the future. The fault is close to, but appears to be separate from, the nearby New Madrid Seismic Zone . The Marianna Water and Sewer Commission directs the Marianna Water Department, which treats and distributes potable water to

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1248-445: The probability of additional damage in states farther from the NMSZ. Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri would be most severely impacted, and Memphis and St. Louis would be severely damaged. The report estimated 86,000 casualties, including 3,500 fatalities, 715,000 damaged buildings, and 7.2 million people displaced, with two million of those seeking shelter, primarily due to the lack of utility services. Direct economic losses, according to

1287-561: The report, would be at least $ 300 billion. Beginning in February 1989, self-proclaimed climatologist Iben Browning , who claimed to have predicted the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake – predicted a 50% probability of a magnitude 6.5 to 7.5 earthquake in the New Madrid area sometime between December 1 and December 5, 1990. Browning appears to have based this prediction on particularly strong tidal forces being expected during that time, and his opinion that

1326-559: The residents and commercial users of the town. The Department also owns and operates a wastewater collection system, which collects wastewater from over 4,000 service connections and uses a series of laterals, interceptors and five lift stations to gravity flow wastewater to the Marianna Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). At the WWTP, two lagoons are used to treats wastewater and discharge treated effluent to

1365-489: The shallower subsurface area where the faulting occurs. The zone had four of the largest earthquakes in recorded North American history, with moment magnitudes estimated to be as large as 7 or greater, all occurring within a 3-month period between December 1811 and February 1812. Many of the published accounts describe the cumulative effects of all the earthquakes (known as the New Madrid Sequence), so finding

1404-634: The town was $ 16,351, and the median income for a family was $ 29,624. Males had a median income of $ 28,542 versus $ 19,045 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 10,253. About 32.8% of families and 37.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 46.2% of those under age 18 and 33.1% of those age 65 or over. As of 2011, there are five schools in Marianna, two of which are private. The public schools in Lee County School District are Lee High School , Anna Strong Middle School, and Whitten Elementary School. One of

1443-540: The west side of the town, leading north 18 miles (29 km) to Forrest City and south 16 miles (26 km) to Barton . The town lies along the west side of the L'Anguille River two miles west of that stream's confluence with the St. Francis River within a break in elevation of Crowley's Ridge . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 3.61 square miles (9.36 km ), all land. The town's current mayor

1482-407: Was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.4% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.6 males. The median income for a household in

1521-512: Was felt in 23 states. People in Boston said their buildings swayed. At the time of the quake, it was the biggest recorded quake with an epicenter in Illinois in that state's recorded history. In 2008 in the nearby Wabash Valley seismic zone , a similar magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred with its epicenter in Illinois near West Salem and Mount Carmel . Instruments were installed in and around

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