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Old News Papers, New Felt Reports, New Earthquakes, New Ways to Look for Old Earthquakes

Description: 

Finding information about pre instrumental earthquakes in the Central United states has always been hobbled by a scarcity of sources coupled with the scattering of those sources across a wide geographic area inconvenient to researchers seeking to find them. In recent years this problem has been mitigated by the digitization of archival information and making it accessible via the internet. One of the most accessible resources are the digital libraries of 19th century newspapers. Modern databases of these newspapers have search engines that can unveil previously unknown seismic events and find more information on previously known events. Using these databases has helped to develop more information on the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 and other seismic events in the Central United States.

Many earthquake catalogs that were done in the 20th century on a state by state basis have events that are noted as being isolated earthquakes. A cursory search of these newer resources has shown that these isolated events might be in fact reports of a larger event that was felt in a multi state area. In addition some earthquakes have been found that were not recorded in any state catalog and point to the need of adding them to those catalogs. This wealth of new information has the potential to flesh out the seismic history of the Central United States and act as model for doing the same for other sections of the country.

A pioneering effort in using archival resources to further understand historic seismic events was done by building on the efforts of Otto Nuttli of St. Louis University to document felt report information on the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. A follow on effort conducted by Arch Johnston and Nathan K. Moran of the University of Memphis developed the New Madrid Compendium Far Field Database. This effort is ongoing and continues to uncover information on the New Madrid earthquakes and other seismic events that followed in the New Madrid seismic zone in the 19th Century.

Session: Earthquakes, Lithospheric Structure, and Dynamics in Stable Continental Region - II

Type: Oral

Date: 4/17/2025

Presentation Time: 11:15 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Nathan

Student Presenter: No

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