Earthquake Detection, Classification and Location in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone
The Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) is located along the lower Wabash River valley near the border between southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana. Most mapped faults in the region strike NNE–SSW and have been identified through seismic imaging and mining-related investigations. On April 18, 2008, a magnitude 5.4 strike-slip earthquake occurred on an ESE–WNW–striking fault northwest of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, and was widely felt across several Midwestern states. This event demonstrates that the WVSZ is capable of producing damaging earthquakes and highlights the seismic hazard posed to a region that is not traditionally considered highly active.
Despite this potential hazard, seismicity in the WVSZ is poorly characterized due to sparse and uneven station coverage. Since 2000, only 69 earthquakes have been reported in the USGS ComCat catalog, suggesting that many small to moderate events likely remain undetected or poorly located. As a result, the true level of seismic activity, its spatial distribution, and its relationship to mapped and unmapped faults remain uncertain.
In this study, we leverage all available seismic stations within 100 km of the WVSZ and apply modern machine-learning–based workflows to improve earthquake detection, classification, and location from 2000 to the present. We use automated phase pickers and event associators to build a more complete earthquake catalog. The resulting catalog will allow us to better resolve active fault structures, identify seismic clusters, and evaluate temporal variations in seismicity. Our results will provide a more accurate assessment of seismic hazard in the WVSZ and offer new insights into intraplate earthquake processes in the central United States.
Session: Network Seismology: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned [Poster]
Type: Poster
Room: Exhibit Hall A+B
Date: 4/15/2026
Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)
Presenting Author: Jianhua Gong
Student Presenter: No
Invited Presentation:
Poster Number: 6
Additional Authors
Jianhua Gong Presenting Author Corresponding Author gongjian@iu.edu Indiana University |
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Earthquake Detection, Classification and Location in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone
Category
Network Seismology: Recent Developments, Challenges and Lessons Learned
Description