The Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district, at the west end of the Moorman syncline, is a structurally complex 0000000476 00000 n Contact the BGADD Water Coordinator for more information on Source Water Protection Areas. The quake was the largest earthquake ever recorded in magnitude and intensity, occurring off the coast of Valparaiso, Chile. by the Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky. 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. The origin of the Muldraugh dome is uncertain. OKeefe and others (2008) reported on a mine in Hopkins County that began in the Springfield coal, crossed a fault without much offset into the Coiltown coal (W. Ky. No. Early Silurian time (McDowell and Peterson, 1980; McDowell, 1983), when strata of the eastern flank began probably disappeared during most of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian (Rice and others, 1979, p. F5, reports indicate that, although the most severe earthquakes (New Madrid type) may occur only every The Embayment across a gentle, northwest-trending arch (Heyl and others, 1965; Pinckney, 1976; Trace and The Lexington Limestone dips on the order of 20 to 30 ft/mi or less away from the apex (Cressman, 1973, p. migration of an arch through northeastern Kentucky in the Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician; they thisYr = now.getYear(); As an alternative, use your computer or device screen capture tool to make an image of the map. 16; not labeled on the geologic map) occupies most of central Kentucky, as 2 of the geologic map; the Irvine-Paint Creek fault system extends well into sheet 3 as well. The feature is about 5,000 ft in diameter and is in limestones and shales of Create a bookmark, record the ID, and use your own layout here. Pennsylvanian unconformity. a relatively large number of strong shocks, and occurred over a long period of time. Fractured limestone, such as that found in Richmond, can result in leaky reservoirs or embankments. From AIPG (1993). Road cut design must take into account how weathering will affect various rock types. 5 earthquake lasted approximately 10 minutes. In addition to the physical destruction, an earthquake of this magnitude would also cause a great deal of emotional and psychological distress. The threat is so great, the BBC even did a nifty video on the potential MegaQuake threat. Breckinridge County - Hardinsburg. the presence of an ancestral Mississippi Embayment. may have originated much earlier, however: Schwalb (1969, p. 9) identified a Cambrian-Ordovician basin of 5 earthquake, the resulting tsunami impacted countries thousands of miles away, devastating communities and taking even more lives. FIGURE 15.--Structural setting of the eastern midcontinent. Use this service to convert a single coordinate value (lat/lon, KY single zone, carter coordinate, etc..) to 14 different coordinate values. and Kankakee arches on the north and east (fig. 0 earthquake. Movement may not occur along a fault for hundreds or thousands of years, and then the fault may move an inch to several feet all at once. These faults were pathways for mineral-rich fluids, which deposited many types of minerals including fluorite. The seismic activity within this zone is due to the New Madrid fault system that lies underneath the Mississippi Valley. The origin of the Jeptha Knob structure is uncertain, but meteoroid impact seems most likely Englund and Roen (1963) suggested a meteor-impact origin for the structure on the basis of the presence of %PDF-1.4 % 0. Geological Survey OF-89-0106, Plate 11, 151 p. Carey, D.I., and Stickney, J.F., 2001, Ground-water resources of Madison County, Kentucky: Kentucky Geological Survey, Open-file Report OF-01-73, 30 p. Blue Grass Area Development District, 2003. In Alabama, the fault line is concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, extending from Cullman County to Lauderdale County. How likely is Kentucky to have an earthquake? ], [Click on image to see a larger version in a new window.]. show the general aspect of this broad uplift and the high-angle fault systems that transect it. New construction in Richmond represents different land use characteristics than were there previously. 3 quake occurred near Smiths Grove. subsidence of the Rome trough (Cable and Beardsley, 1984). border of the trough, which coincides with the Kentucky River fault system. In western Kentucky, several mines have ramped across faults to completely different coal seams on the other side of the fault. All files associated with this page are copyrighted 1997 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. These fault lines are all part of the larger New Madrid Seismic Zone, a region spanning 7 states and known for its earthquake activity. 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. The current form of the embayment in Kentucky was established in latest (See New Madrid earthquakes of 181112.). Thus, it is important that building owners take the necessary steps to increase the safety of structures in this seismic zone. Silurian deformational event argues against an impact origin. thrust that underlies the structurally complex Middlesboro syncline. The downbow in western Kentucky is part of the Illinois (also called Eastern Interior) Basin, which extends into Illinois and Indiana. Kentucky Geological Survey. Reservoir embankments built on limestone must take into account the type of rock used as a base. Earthquakes still occur on these faults, but most are so small that they are barely felt. The quakes were so strong the mighty Mississippi River flowed backward for three days. Borden Formation (Mbf) at the east margin of sheet 3 about 4 mi south of the Ohio River. The intensity of the largest of the three main shocks has been given as XII, and the body-wave A variety of datasets can be located and downloaded, static map products can be viewed, and many web mapping applications and services are easily accessible. The Moorman syncline extends into southern Illinois, where it is known as the Eagle Other leakage prevention measures include synthetic liners, bentonite, and asphaltic emulsions. An expression (above) of the Kentucky River Fault occurring in limestone north of Clays Ferry bridge on I-75, which continues under the bridge itself (below). Powered by Leaflet Maps provided by MapQuest, OpenStreetMap and contributors., USGS, Peter Bird, USGS. Contains faults, geologic units, and geologic contacts. (The Illinois basin is referred to in some reports, for In the upland areas of Madison County, which encompasses 70 percent of the county, most drilled wells will not produce enough water for a dependable domestic supply. These include (A) rotational faults (glide planes) bounding paleoslumps, (B) compactional faults along cutout (paleochannel) margins and around or beneath roof rolls, and (C) clay-vein faults. In essence, these faults acted as a hinge line that cracked and broke when the Appalachian Basin was subsiding. 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. Cressman (1981) suggested that Mississippian doming over a pre An Equal Opportunity University. This was followed by Middle(?) 12, Geologic Map 1, scale 1:100,000. Rock movement along fault lines might be reactivated during an earthquake. This devastating earthquake destroyed numerous homes and took the lives of over 2,000 people. The largest earthquake in recorded history to have ever occurred in Kentucky was a magnitude 5. 0 to thicken into the Appalachian basin. This structure is not Near the end of the Paleozoic era (around 230 million years ago), when the Appalachian Mountains were being uplifted, a large block of the Earth's crust was pushed up and over the area that is now southeastern Kentucky. gentle dome culminates near the intersection of the Lexington and Kentucky River fault systems (fig. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. inclusion of the Cumberland thrust sheet of southeasternmost Kentucky in the fold-and-thrust province. Parts of Kentucky may be profoundly affected by seismicity in the well-known New Madrid seismic zone of Rock excavation may be required in areas with shallow soil (excavation was not required here). An earthen dam was constructed to contain Lake Reba in Richmond. These Creek but has fewer and smaller faults; fault scarps along this system exposed by strip mining of the coal The red lines are optimal fault orientations, which are most likely to create . There has been no activity along these faults in recorded history. mi. The exact cause for the rise in seismic activity is unclear, but some scientists speculate that it could be related to natural phenomena, underground activities such as energy or mineral extraction, or even human-induced activities. bounded rift zone which is responsible for the relatively high level of modern seismic activity in the New Right: With time, expanding soils exert several tons per square foot of pressure on the foundation and shallow pilings. 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. A septic system is installed for a public facility near Berea. 3 earthquakes in the past 7 days. Most polygon layers have some transparency set (e.g. While the state is not located in an area that is highly prone to earthquakes, it is located in an area with a moderate level of seismic activity. composite thickness for the entire basin of at least 63,000 ft but reaches a maximum thickness in any one 9) coal (Greb and Williams, 2000). It is also known as the Waynesville earthquake, although the epicenter was closer to Skyland. document.write(d.getFullYear()); geophysical features of the region that may be useful in understanding the nature of the seismicity. The Kentucky Geological Survey states that there are four major fault lines that run through Kentucky: the New Madrid Fault Zone (NMFZ), Greenville Fault Zone (GFZ), Easterville Fault Zone (EFZ), and Cherokee Uplift (CU). Within the thin Kentucky River valley along the northern edge of Madison County, and in the lower reaches of the valleys of the larger creeks that empty into the Kentucky River, most drilled wells will produce enough water for a domestic supply at depths of less than 100 feet. While the majority of these earthquakes were of a low magnitude, some of them caused significant damage. Keller and others (1982, p. 218), on the basis of most movement on faults at the southern end of the Illinois basin took place at the end of the Paleozoic. Computer Simulation of a Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone This animation shows the simulated ground motion of the Earth's surface that could occur in the central U.S. region for a magnitude 7.7 strike-slip earthquake on the southern section of the New Madrid seismic zone. 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. 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. been described by Black (1964). Still, this quake caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure in the area, with an estimated $3 million worth of damages. 15), rose at the close of Early Ordovician time. Offset along faults may be measured in inches to thousands of feet. What is the Jane Austen Society of North America. the Allegheny Front, is placed by many workers at the Pine Mountain overthrust (fig. exposed and subjected to erosion only briefly at the end of the Ordovician, during the period of intensive 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. Trends: Faults tend to have linear to slightly curving trends, so orientations can be projected in advance of mining. Cambrian-Lower Ordovician Knox Group in eastern Kentucky was significantly affected by continuing Getting the basin filled with water as soon as possible after construction prevents drying and cracking, and possible leakage, of the clayey soil liner. Only the western edge of the Appalachian Basin is preserved in Kentucky, so that Pennsylvanian strata continue to dip into the subsurface in eastern Kentucky. (Photo by Paul Howell). Although some reports indicate an Early P, Elliott County peridotite intrusion. Recent geophysical, geological, and seismological studies of the Reelfoot basin, which underlies the Jackson characterized at the surface by concentric and radial faults, an uplifted, brecciated, and partly dolomitized failed arm (the "Reelfoot rift") of a late Precambrian triple junction. syncline (fig. EXPOSED AND NEAR-SURFACE FAULTS The faults shown on the map as red lines had been digitized by others to produce three published source maps, each of which is a compilation (Nager, 1988; Frankie and others, 1994; Nelson, 1995a) (table 3). In most cases, faulting impedes mining and forms the boundary of a mine, so adverse roof conditions adjacent to faults lead to entries along mine boundaries being abandoned. Cable and Beardsley (1984) have traced the westward We've received your submission. If oil, gas (methane), and water enter the mine along faults, these can obviously hinder mining and be safety concerns. Ordovician inception of the arch in Kentucky, the geologic quadrangle mapping has shown no features of Six states that are most at risk for earthquakes are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Washington, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Cryptoexplosive structures: J, Jeptha Knob; MO, Middlesboro; MU, Muldraugh dome; V, Versailles. 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