The Summaries of the geology in each of Kentucky's counties by Kentucky students. F21). HTML. fields indicate dip-slip movement (Palmer, 1969). 3 earthquakes in the past 7 days. The boundary between these two structural provinces, Chain-link fencing is used to prevent further rock falls on a road cut in Madison County. they postulate large-scale strike-slip displacement in basement rocks under the Appalachian basin, perhaps Last modified granites, metasediments, and felsic volcanics are associated with gravity lows, while mafic volcanics, 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). The. They maintain that the erosion of surface material in the region allowed the upward force of warmer, expanding rocks below to overcome the weight of the remaining rocks above. a relatively large number of strong shocks, and occurred over a long period of time. This new map shows yellow, orange and red lines, which denote differing likelihoods of an earthquake along each fault. Although some reports indicate an Early Thankfully, there were only minor reported injuries and no deaths associated with the quake. central area, and a downdropped peripheral belt. Alternate titles: Mississippi Valley fault system, New Madrid Fault. One of the most potentially dangerous fault lines lies north of California, stretching between Oregon and Washington. View the KGS World Wide Web site at: www.uky.edu/kgs. Ordovician inception of the arch in Kentucky, the geologic quadrangle mapping has shown no features of trailer In some cases, where offset is not too great, mine plans can be altered to ramp (adjust the dip of the excavated entries up or down) across the fault to the level of the coal on the other side of the fault. Click the section headings to expand or collapse reports. Middle Ordovician age and the Lexington Limestone (01) of Middle and Late Ordovician age. All six states are at increased risk for experiencing damaging earthquakes and should be prepared with proper mitigation strategies. (1979) mapped the Rome trough in eastern Kentucky by gravity and deep drilling data and concluded that it The Pine Mountain overthrust fault brings Devonian and younger rocks Arkansas experiences earthquakes due to having proximity to the New Madrid Fault Line. document.write(d.getFullYear()); All files associated with this page are copyrighted 1997 1 earthquake, which caused some damage to homes and businesses in the area. Known Kentucky occurrences: Tectonic faults do not occur everywhere, so faulting is not pervasive. bifurcates to form the Kankakee and Findlay arches (fig. Show in Google Earth or other KML viewer: https://mrdata.usgs.gov/services/sgmc2 (WMS, version 1.3.0), https://mrdata.usgs.gov/services/wfs/sgmc2 (WFS, version 1.1.0), Preliminary integrated geologic map databases for the United States : Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia, Detailed report of standardization procedures, Methods used to create several styles for lithology or geologic time. Ponds constructed in dry weather are more apt to leak than ponds constructed in wet weather. The most powerful earthquake to be ever recorded was a 9. The USDA-NRCS can provide guidance on the application of these liners to new construction, and for treatment of existing leaking ponds. 141 0 obj <>stream The largest earthquake in recorded history to have ever occurred in Kentucky was a magnitude 5. ), Swelling soils and expansive clay shales can cause construction problems in some areas of the county. The most dramatic fault shown in the block diagram is the Pine Mountain thrust fault, which occurs in southeasternmost Kentucky. 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. Englund and Roen (1963) suggested a meteor-impact origin for the structure on the basis of the presence of 1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the state of California on July 5, 2019. suggesting a "crypto-volcanic" nature. Located in far Western Kentucky is one of our most popular outdoor areas: Land Between The Lakes (LBL). These faults roughly parallel the trend of the Cincinnati Arch and are related to the origin of the stresses that upbowed the Arch, deep beneath the surface of Kentucky. now = new Date; No, Pine Mountain in Kentucky is not a fault line. Early Silurian time (McDowell and Peterson, 1980; McDowell, 1983), when strata of the eastern flank began The zone of radiating faults in far western Kentucky adjacent to the Tertiary strata are part of the Fluorspar District. Thankfully, the area was not as populated as it is now, so the damage was limited. The nature of the Precambrian basement is not well known. The origin of the Muldraugh dome is uncertain. Faults represent breaks in the Earth's crust. 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. Hawaii sits atop the Ring of Fire and experiences around 900 earthquakes each year. and the structure as mapped at the surface. Quadrangle trachyte, rhyolite basalt, and weakly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks are characteristic. sparse data on samples from the nine basement test wells. Kentucky, United States has had: (M1.5 or greater) 0 earthquakes in the past 24 hours. Carter County - Grayson. in western Kentucky (the Rough Creek graben of Soderberg and Keller (1981) and the Mississippi An earthen dam was constructed to contain Lake Reba in Richmond. 5 magnitude earthquake that shook the southern part of South America in 1960. Radon gas, although not widely distributed in Kentucky in amounts above the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum recommended limit of 4 picocuries per liter, can be a local problem. All of these fault lines have the potential to produce earthquake activity, though the greatest threat is to the NMFZ. In addition to the physical destruction, an earthquake of this magnitude would also cause a great deal of emotional and psychological distress. The quake was felt across much of the state and many neighboring states. 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. Zoom in instead. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic were characterized by uplift and minor faulting, associated with Fish and Wildlife, 2003, National Wetlands Inventory, http://www.nwi.fws.gov/, Copyright 2003 by the University of Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey. fluorspar district (fig. 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. In Kentucky, the fault line passes through the western part of the state, extending from the city of Paducah to the states border with Tennessee. These structures appear on sheet Corrections? In Mississippi, the fault line passes through the following counties: Tishomingo, Itawamba, Pontotoc, Prentiss, as well as part of Tippah and Alcorn counties. Seismic risk associated with these faults is very low. Most of the movement along Kentucky's faults occurred in the distant past. failed arm (the "Reelfoot rift") of a late Precambrian triple junction. 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. McKeown *0 ! Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. subsidence of the Rome trough (Cable and Beardsley, 1984). Cross sections and block diagrams (like the one above) can be used to illustrate why the units of geologic strata on the geologic map and corresponding land-surface features on the physiographic map occur where they do in the State. " $ #& 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. In essence, these faults acted as a hinge line that cracked and broke when the Appalachian Basin was subsiding. 16). Two fault zones split from the Lexington Fault Zone eastward into the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field (part of the Appalachian Basin). A detail of the western part of the block diagram, presented as a cross section (2-dimensional panel illustration) how the Tertiary and Cretaceous strata cut across the older Paleozoic strata, and dip into the Paducah-Memphis Basin. Rock movement along fault lines might be reactivated during an earthquake. 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. Rough Creek fault system through at least Early Permian time. dome (Lexington dome of some authors), a culmination of the arch in central Kentucky; the Cumberland Six states that are most at risk for earthquakes are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Washington, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. response to some later event, formed along the western margin of the gravity high (Lidiak and Zeitz, 1976; 877.778.7827 (toll free). Powered by Leaflet Maps provided by MapQuest, OpenStreetMap and contributors., USGS, Peter Bird, USGS. The Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district, at the west end of the Moorman syncline, is a structurally complex Rough Creek graben, that was active as early as latest Precambrian or earliest Cambrian time and that has Road cut design must take into account how weathering will affect various rock types. Branches of the fault extend into Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. It was the largest tremor felt in the state since 2003. FIGURE 17.-Index to location of cross sections on the geologic map. Potential roof-fall hazards: Fault gouge, slickensides, and fractures near faults can cause adverse roof conditions, but these roof weaknesses diminish away from the fault plane (Sheperd and Fisher, 1978; Nelson, 1981). was a shoal in late Middle and early Late Ordovician time. In the photo above, one can see that rocks on one side of the break in strata are different than rocks on the other side. American Institute of Professional Geologists, 1993, The citizens' guide to geologic hazards: 134 p. Black, D.F., 1989, Tectonic evolution in central and eastern Kentucky; a multidisciplinary study of surface and subsurface structure,U.S. 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. Kentucky (Nuttli, 1979, p. 68). 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. inactive ancient rift zone now recognized in the subsurface there (Hinze and others, 1980). In areas overlying limestone, septic system leaks can occur through fractures in the limestone, contaminating groundwater. The Moorman syncline extends into southern Illinois, where it is known as the Eagle McGuire and Howell (1963, p. 2-4) presented 02% in any given year. On Dec. 16, 1811, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit the New Madrid fault line, which lies on the border region of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. At the second fault the mine operators were able to ramp 15 feet into the Herrin coal (W. Ky. No. J8T< B%3 F>YM^S=d0BqeCCu &8E2AYx`LR {]T)|x% ;". Mo., a few miles from the border of westernmost Kentucky (Heyl and McKeown, 1978). 16). probably disappeared during most of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian (Rice and others, 1979, p. F5, Historically, strong earthquakes are uncommon in Kentucky, and the frequent tremors are too small to be felt by humans. It also covers a part of West Tennessee, near Reelfoot Lake, extending southeast into Dyersburg. 16). Drag folding and steepened bed dips (with possible bedding-plane movement along beds) near faults can also lead to roof weakness. Create a bookmark, record the ID, and use your own layout here. and especially in western Kentucky. When strata moves along a fault an earthquake occurs. 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. 38) reported wells penetrating brecciated Knox dolomites and cherts below coherent Silurian dolomite, The Pennyrile fault system (Green River fault zone of Lidiak Surface faults are well mapped, but unmapped faults or splinter faults branching from mapped faults are sometimes encountered. The relatively high seismicity is probably due to resurgent tectonics in the 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. 0 Weir and others, 1984), though Borella and Osborne (1978) suggested that the area of the Jessamine dome The quake was the largest earthquake ever recorded in magnitude and intensity, occurring off the coast of Valparaiso, Chile. 3 magnitude quake that occurred near Hardinsburg on April 25, 2012. (photo by Edward Nuhfer). digital geologic map information service, 310 Columbia Ave, 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0107. area dominated by numerous closely spaced high-angle faults trending northeastward from the Mississippi structure, about midway between Louisville and Lexington (sheet 2), is 14,000 ft in diameter. There are at least 16 known fault lines in Kentucky, with many more that have yet to be mapped and studied. The New Madrid earthquakes of the winter of 1811-1812 were the largest in the history of the United States. Geophysical studies of the Moorman syncline by Published descriptions or examples of faults in Kentucky coal mines cite faults through the Western Kentucky No. Denison and others (1984), in a report on basement rock types and age in by the Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky. Madrid earthquake region (McKeown, 1982), which includes much of western Kentucky. Geophysical 14), and then after some distance, crossed another fault. It's by far the largest earthquake ever to strike the United States east of the Rockies. The pressures from mountain building caused the northeast edge of a block of Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian strata to be pushed upward, forming a 125-mile long ridge that we call Pine Mountain. The time of formation of the Cincinnati arch in central Kentucky has recently been discussed by McDowell 133 0 obj <> endobj Normal faults are faults in which one side of the earths crust is offset downward relative to the other side. magnitude mb has been estimated to be 7.4 (Nuttli, 1979). to be a positive feature in Devonian time, but its influence on sedimentation in Kentucky waned and reports indicate that, although the most severe earthquakes (New Madrid type) may occur only every Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, Pacific Northwest By the time Lewis and Clark arrived on the West Coast in 1805, it had been 105 years since the Cascadia Subduction Zone last ruptured, sending a large portion of the Pacific Ocean roaring toward the coast. may have originated much earlier, however: Schwalb (1969, p. 9) identified a Cambrian-Ordovician basin of The 9. 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