The Mississippi River Valley Essay, Research Paper
When one thinks of temblors, the Mississippi river vale ( MRV ) , does non
often come to mind. One normally thinks of one of California & # 8217 ; s legion mistakes or
someplace in Alaska. However, small known to the general populace, there were two
monolithic temblors in the MRV, which rank among the top three in the immediate
United States and in the top 10 for the full United States ( hypertext transfer protocol: //wwwneic.
cr.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/bigten.lis ) . Get downing in the early forenoon hours of December 16,
1811 a violent shaking of the Earth began, which continued on for three months,
bring forthing two of the three largest temblors in the immediate US, this peculiar temblor
registered an 8.0 in magnitude on the Richter graduated table. There was a 2nd temblor on
February 7, 1812 which registered 8.2 ( hypertext transfer protocol: //wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/
bigten.lis ) .
The home base which is responsible for this activity is named the New Madrid Seismic
zone, it is named for the lone populated metropolis that was in being in the clip and the country
of these temblors, New Madrid, Missouri. The New Madrid Seismic zone lies in the
cardinal MRV, get downing in southern Illinois and stoping in sou’-east Missouri, western
Tennessee.
Normally an temblor consists of a principal daze and so the aftershocks, the
1811-1812 temblors didn & # 8217 ; t follow the usual form. There was the first primary daze,
at and so it & # 8217 ; s aftershocks, nevertheless the aftershocks from the first temblor hadn & # 8217 ; T subsided
before the 2nd chief daze hit. Following suite, the aftershocks from the 2nd
temblor had non terminated when the 3rd and largest chief daze hit ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eas.
slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/Nuttli.1973/intensity.html ) . It is hard to bet on the existent
strength of the temblors due to the deficiency of engineering, nevertheless, the strength can be
estimated by the harm caused by the temblors and besides by the diaries of the people
settling this portion of the state. Fortunately, a adult male by the name of Jared Brooks, who
was a occupant of Louisville KY, kept a diary of the seismal activity from December 16,
1811 to May 5, 1812. He had devised his ain system of mensurating strengths with a set
of horizontal pendulums from 1 to 6 inches in length and a set of perpendicular spring- mass
systems. Inventing his ain instruments, he besides created his ain classs of strengths,
with six degrees. The first is comparable to an eight on the Modified Mercalli graduated table, 2nd
degree is a five to a six, third is a four to five, 4th is a three, the 5th degree is comparable
to a two on the MM, the 6th is a 1 ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/
Nuttli.1973/Magnitudes.html ) . With the aid of these measurings scientist have
been able to invent approximative strengths of these temblors. The followers is a map
with the MM strength values for the December 16, 1811 temblor. Map
( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/Nuttli.1973/Intensity.html )
Through some in depth research about land gestures and strengths of these
temblors, if has been concluded that the epicentre of the first temblor ( December
16, 1811 ) was closer to the nor’-east Arkansas near the southern terminal of the lake formed
by the St. Francis River. The lake in the country was raised every bit much as 12 ft. up higher than
the encompassing state. The H2O in the lake was drained and replaced by white sand.
It was stated by the Louisiana Gazette that the river itself rose every bit much as 25 to 30 pess
above it & # 8217 ; s Bankss ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/Nuttli.1973/Intensity.html ) .
There are several published personal histories of these temblors, the following
is an aggregation of extracts from a missive found in a book entitled, & # 8220 ; Lorenzo Dow & # 8217 ; s
Journal, & # 8221 ; published by Jos
Harkat-ul-Mujahidin Martin, printed by John B. Wolff, 1849, on pages 344-346.
On the 16th of December, 1811, approximately two O & # 8217 ; clock, A.M. , we were visited
by a violent daze of an temblor, accompanied by a really atrocious noise
resembling loud but distant boom, but more hoarse and vibrating,
which was followed in a few proceedingss by the complete impregnation of the
atmosphere, with sulphurious vapours, doing entire darkness. The shriek
of the affrighted dwellers running to and fro, non cognizing where to
travel, or what to make & # 8211 ; the calls of the poultry and animals of every species –
the snap of trees falling, and the boom of the Mississippi & # 8211 ; the
current of which was retrogade for a few proceedingss, owing as is supposed,
to an irruption in its bed & # 8212 ; formed a scene genuinely atrocious.
There were several dazes of a twenty-four hours, but lighter than those already
mentioned until the 23d of January, 1812, when one occurred as violent
as the severest of the former 1s, accompanied by the same phenomena as
the former. From this clip until the 4th of February the Earth was in
continual agitation, visibly beckoning as a soft sea. On that twenty-four hours there
was another daze, about every bit difficult as the proceeding 1s. Following twenty-four hours four
such, and on the 7th about 4 O & # 8217 ; clock A.M. , a concussion took topographic point so
much more violent than those that had proceeded it, that it was
dominated the difficult daze. The atrocious darkness of the ambiance, which
was once saturated with sulphurious vapour, and the force of the
stormy thundering noise that accompanied it, together with all of
the other phenomena mentioned as go toing the former 1s, formed a
scene, the description of which would necessitate the most sublimely
notional imaginativeness.
At foremost the Mississippi seemed to withdraw from its Bankss, and its Waterss
garnering up like a mountain, go forthing for the minute many boats, which
were here on their manner to New Orleans, on bare sand, in which clip the
hapless crewmans made their flight from them. It so lifting 15 to
20 pess sheer, and spread outing, as it were, at the same
minute, the Bankss were overflowed with the retrogade current, rapid as a
downpour & # 8211 ; the boats which earlier had been left on the sand were now
torn from their moorages, and all of a sudden driven up a small brook, at the
oral cavity of which they laid, to the distance in some cases, of about a
one-fourth of a stat mi. The river falling instantly, every bit rapid as it
had risen, receded in its Bankss once more with such force, that it took
with it whole Grovess of immature cotton-wood trees, which ledged its
boundary lines. They were broken off which such regularity, in some
cases, that individuals who had non witnessed the fact, would be
difficultly persuaded, that is has non been the work of art. A great
many fish were left on the Bankss, being unable to maintain gait with the
H2O. The river was literally covered with the wrecks of boats, and
& # 8217 ; Ti said that one was wrecked in which there was a lady and six
kids, all of whom were lost ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hsv.com/genlintr/newmadrd/
accnt1.htm ) .
This is a really powerful history of the first and 2nd primary dazes. Having
ne’er been in an temblor I can non conceive of & # 8220 ; the Earth visibly beckoning as a soft sea & # 8221 ; .
There are several other published histories, nevertheless, none as descriptive and powerful as
this one.
Mentions
hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/NewMadrid/General.html
hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/Nuttli.1973/Intensity.html
hypertext transfer protocol: //www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/Street/rstreet.html
hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hsv.com/genlintr/newmadrd/accnt1.htm
hypertext transfer protocol: //www.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/ Nuttli.1973/Magnitudes.html
hypertext transfer protocol: //wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/bigten.lis
