The New Madrid Fault Zone, sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, 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. [35] Recent research has suggested that the whole fault may be of Quaternary age with little activity during the Pennsylvanian. Intraplate earthquakes also present significant seismic hazards, especially because they can affect densely populated regions with little preparation for seismic shaking. [17] The scarp was described as a Permian fault scarp before Holocene activity was discovered[70] and made known by Gilbert 1983 and Donovan et al. Title: Intraplate Earthquakes Description: Intraplate Earthquakes Intraplate seismicity of the New Madrid seismic zone in the central USA superimposed on a topography map with warmer colors indicating higher elevations. A quake with an... KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — China and Nepal jointly announced a new official height for Mount Everest on Tuesday, ending a discrepancy between the two nations. intermediate-depth intraplate earthquakes, and a double seismic zone is observed5. [16], A conspicuous[17] 5-meter (16 ft) high and 26-kilometer (16 mi)[18]–22-kilometer (14 mi) long fault scarp just north of the Wichita Mountains is noticeable on Google Earth;[17] it has formed on the Holocene part of the fault[18] and continues southeastwards in the form of more subtle scarps[12] although it may not exactly coincide with the path of the fault. [61], Judging earthquake hazards in the central and eastern United States is made hard by the scarcity of geological evidence of seismicity, the long timespans between earthquakes and the shortness of the historical record thereof. 2020-12-07 07:32:32 UTC 2.1 magnitude, 4 km depth Alva, Oklahoma, United States 2.1 magnitude earthquake 2020-12-07 07:32:32 UTC at 07:32 December 07, 2020 UTC [52], The Meers fault presently is largely[14][53] aseismic, with no earthquakes recorded along its Holocene trace[18] or any evidence of aseismic creep[54] although minor seismicity has been recorded[55] and a M4.2 earthquake close to Lawton in 1998 is close to the southeastern end of the Meers fault. [18] In the wider area around the Meers fault such as in the Texas Panhandle, the Arbuckle Mountains and around Enola, Arkansas there is evidence of recent seismic and fault activity which may be part of a larger seismic zone. United States", https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236473980_Investigation_of_the_Meers_fault_in_southwestern_Oklahoma, 10.1130/0016-7606(1990)102<0001:SATOHS>2.3.CO;2, "The Meers Fault: tectonic activity in southwestern Oklahoma. The Mississippi embayment is a broad trough filled with marine sedimentary rocks about 50-100 millions years old and river sediments less than 5 millions years old. [49], Alternatively, the fault movement could have occurred through aseismic creep as there is little evidence of strong ground shaking in the area[34] as well as evidence against strong ground motion[50] although the soils found close to the fault trace show evidence of fast movement. However, Pleistocene sediments and Holocene alluvium have been offset, indicating fault movement during this time. [57], The region is part of the stable continent and away from plate boundaries and other tectonically active areas. The Meers fault is part of a group of faults that lie between the Anadarko Basin and the Wichita Mountains. [65] Other regional faults such as the Washita Valley fault which runs parallel to the Meers fault may also be capable of causing earthquakes. There is currently no seismicity on the fault but it is considered an earthquake hazard. [39] More fault movements occurred in the Permian and the Pleistocene[13] although there are no post-Permian rock formations in the area that could allow an estimation of post-Paleozoic movements. [58] Earthquakes in Oklahoma have been observed in the areas of the southern Oklahoma aulacogen and of the Amarillo-Wichita uplift; in southwestern Oklahoma they are rare and of moderate intensity. [1], The Meers fault is a reverse fault[7] (at first it was interpreted to be a normal fault[8]) with a straight path despite a variable topography;[9] it probably does take the form of a broad dislocation rather than of a plane[10] and its expression varies depending on the substrate rock. The quake, which was centered in the town of Puturge, struck at... TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian prosecutors indicted 16 investors, construction experts and local officials Friday on murder and other charges resulting from fatal building collapses after an earthquake a year ago. Earthquake case studies. Over the past few days, Oklahoma has been hit by a sequence of significant earthquakes, including a magnitude 5.6, the largest quake to hit Oklahoma in modern times: A magnitude-4.7 foreshock struck 20 miles northeast of Shawnee and 46 miles east of Oklahoma City on Saturday, November 5, at 2:12 a.m. local time at the epicenter. [14] One interpretation is that the Meers fault is a "back-thrust" that dips northwards. [12], Two to four earthquakes occurred during the Holocene in the last 6,000 years,[17] one of which occurred 1,100–1,300 years ago and the other 2,000–2,900 years ago. The red circles are earthquake locations from local seismic network analyses. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said the earthquake measured 6.7 and struck about 9:20 p.m. at a depth of 77 kilometers (48... LIBERTY, Mo. [62] Assessing the hazard potential for the Meers fault suffers from similar problems[44] but it is considered the largest seismic hazard source of the central United States[63] as it has the potential to cause large earthquakes[31] and earthquakes in the central United States usually affect much larger regions than those of the western United States. [3] The nature of the surrounding rocks also influences the expression of the Meers fault, as it has a more pronounced scarp in erosion-resistant rock units. [33], All these faults lie in the area of the Frontal Wichita fault system, which is located between the Anadarko Basin to the north and the Amarillo-Wichita uplift to the south[3] and separates the two. The New Madrid Seismic Zone (/ ˈ m æ d r ɪ d /), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, 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 tectonic Here, we explore the complex spatiotemporal patterns of intraplate seismicity using a 3D visco- [9] The ratio of the horizontal to vertical motion is about 1.3–1.5[14] or about 2:1[12] although the amount of horizontal movement on the fault is controversial. [12][20] The scarp marks the Holocene section of the fault. [1], In low sun-angle photography additional scarps and splays can be observed. The CVSZ, the New Madrid seismic zone, and the central Oklahoma seismic zone (COSZ) are all bisected by major river systems. [14] The fault may generate strong earthquakes in the future;[66] earthquakes with magnitudes Mw 7.5–8 might be possible on the Meers fault[67] and an earthquake similar to the Holocene ones would be felt over large parts of the continent, including Oklahoma and Texas,[54] with intensities comparable to these of the 1886 Charleston earthquake and 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes. [43], The Meers fault is the only fault on Oklahoma which has generated a rupture on the surface,[44] resulting in about 5 meters (16 ft) of vertical offset[34] over a 43 kilometers (27 mi) long distance. Today, instrumental seismicity outlines four main arms that extend for more than 200 km from west of Memphis, Tennessee, into southern Missouri ( … [9] Finally ductile folding,[25] vegetation and landform variations have also been recognized on the Meers fault. Continuing high rates of small magnitude earthquakes, the great historical earthquakes of 1811-1812 and large paleoseismic earthquakes define the NMSZ as one of the major intraplate seismic zones of the world [Johnston & Schweig, 1996]. MPa (0.1-1.0 bar) of pore-fluid overpressure (pressure above hydrostatic) to trigger an intraplate earthquake. [12] Both the Wichita Mountains thrust[17] and possibly a second fault are linked with the Meers fault,[37] which is the only fault in the Wichita fault system with Holocene activity. [54], The USGS national hazard map states that the Meers fault has a recurrence interval of 4,500 years[44] but estimates range from 100,000 years to 1,300 years. [11] Underground, the fault may be over 100 kilometers (62 mi) long. [19] Because the scarp is not present along the entire length of the fault, it is subdivided in a southeastern section in Comanche County and a northwestern section in Kiowa County, with only the southeastern section featuring a scarp. 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