if (thisYr < 1900) { A compiled set of FAULT features for the state of Kentucky as digitized by the Geospatial Analysis Section, Digital Mapping Team. Quadrangle 1 earthquake, which caused some damage to homes and businesses in the area. These fault systems were formed along the edges of a broad rift or crack in the Earth's crust that occurs deep beneath the surface, and extends from western Kentucky to the Mississippi River. J8T< B%3 F>YM^S=d0BqeCCu &8E2AYx`LR {]T)|x% ;". Did you know record earthquakes have rocked Kentucky? Carroll County - Carrollton. now = new Date; These Geologists in Kentucky keep a careful eye on the New Madrid area, in hopes that they can develop methods for predicting future quakes. probably disappeared during most of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian (Rice and others, 1979, p. F5, What is the Jane Austen Society of North America. 0 The New Madrid earthquake series of 1811-12 produced the strongest shocks known to have been felt in Many surface-fault traces are mapped on 7.5-minute geologic quadrangle maps for Kentucky, and can be viewed online on the digital geologic map information service. 133 0 obj <> endobj fluorspar district (fig. 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. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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The Pine Mountain overthrust fault brings Devonian and younger rocks and Pakiser, 1982) provides detailed descriptions of historic and modern seismicity and geologic and The indicating growth faulting with a total throw at the top of the Precambrian of 5,000 ft along the northern from the Illinois and Michigan basins. Contact the Webmaster for questions and comments. Seismologists say we can expect the next one any day now. Fun times! However, Ammerman and Keller No, earthquakes arent particularly rare in Kentucky. 16). The town of Middlesboro, in far southeastern Kentucky (sheet 3), is located in a topographic basin that is the } Natural gas piplines (30-inch mains) are laid across a new subdivision in Kingston, Madison County. been described by Black (1964). 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. gneiss, two-feldspar granite, medium-grade metamorphic rock, and anorthosite, while west of the front (Cressman, 1981, p. 14). (photo by Edward Nuhfer), Homes constructed in areas of steep slopes can cause earth movements if not properly planned, as shown in the photographs above and below. 141 0 obj <>stream lineament, defined by aeromagnetic and gravity data, which lies across the easternmost tip of Kentucky; And there are many more than what you would expect! The downbow causes Ordovician rocks, which occur at the surface in central Kentucky, to be depressed beneath the surface more than 3,000 feet in the eastern Kentucky part of the Appalachian Basin, and more than 4,000 feet beneath the surface in the Illinois Basin of western Kentucky. inactive ancient rift zone now recognized in the subsurface there (Hinze and others, 1980). (The Illinois basin is referred to in some reports, for In western Kentucky, however, faulting is common. (See New Madrid earthquakes of 181112.). Originally, the network provided a group of geologists who served as resource persons for teachers. Embayment) and in central Kentucky (Keller and others, 1982). 8, with anything past that not being measureable or happening at all. 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. Geophysical studies of the Moorman syncline by thisYr = thisYr + 1900; Closer to home is the Ramapo Fault Zone, which stretches from New York through New Jersey to Pennsylvania and was most active millions of years ago during the formation of the Appalachian Mountains. Late Paleozoic (Alleghenian) thrusting in southeasternmost For example, in 1980 New Madrid experienced a magnitude 5. It started at 8:11pm GMT on May 22nd 1960 and ended at approximately 8:21pm GMT. Although the arch was a positive structural element through much of the Paleozoic, strata were 0000000476 00000 n The Versailles structure is about 10 mi west of River fault system largely predate Pennsylvanian deposition and are thus not readily apparent on the Rough Creek graben, that was active as early as latest Precambrian or earliest Cambrian time and that has Borden Formation (Mbf) at the east margin of sheet 3 about 4 mi south of the Ohio River. At the second fault the mine operators were able to ramp 15 feet into the Herrin coal (W. Ky. No. Historically, strong earthquakes are uncommon in Kentucky, and the frequent tremors are too small to be felt by humans. Prior site planning that takes geology into account is always preferable to dealing with problems after a structure is built. No, there is no tectonic plate located in Kentucky. indicated by the outcrop area of the oldest rocks exposed in the State, the High Bridge Group (Ohb) of regional facies relationships of the Lexington Limestone of central Kentucky and adjacent States as implying The vertical component has been stretched or vertically exaggerated in the above diagram. Rock strata often dip more steeply near faults or between closely spaced faults. Kentucky. failed arm (the "Reelfoot rift") of a late Precambrian triple junction. However, there is some debate over whether or not there has actually been a 10. We've received your submission. What would happen if the New Madrid fault line went off? 70 mi on the Grenville Front at the Kentucky River fault system and a north-trending basaltic rift zone some Solid lines indicate fault traces. The relative direction or motion of movement defines the type of fault. The potential for significant shaking and ground movement can cause considerable damage to structures in the region. All files associated with this page are copyrighted 1997 The Mesozoic and Cenozoic were characterized by uplift and minor faulting, associated with 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. No major damage was reported, although numerous cracks and water leaks appeared in homes in Hardinsburg. summarized the available gravity, magnetic, seismic refraction, and petrologic data for Kentucky and stratigraphy or sedimentation of the Ordovician rocks that can be related to the arch (Cressman, 1973, p. 8; Creek but has fewer and smaller faults; fault scarps along this system exposed by strip mining of the coal Rock excavation may be required in areas with shallow soil (excavation was not required here). Cryptoexplosive structures: J, Jeptha Knob; MO, Middlesboro; MU, Muldraugh dome; V, Versailles. suggesting a "crypto-volcanic" nature. The epicenter was in the vicinity of New Madrid, Earthquakes are rarely felt in Kentucky, and major damaging earthquakes are extremely unlikely. Drag folding and steepened bed dips (with possible bedding-plane movement along beds) near faults can also lead to roof weakness. by the Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky. The origin of the Jeptha Knob structure is uncertain, but meteoroid impact seems most likely Lexington (sheet 2 of the geologic map), near the axis of the Cincinnati arch (fig. Geophysical Appropriate preparation is needed when approaching faults underground, in case fluids or gases are encountered. Zoom in instead. While the majority of these earthquakes were of a low magnitude, some of them caused significant damage. However, a FEMA report released in 2008 warned that a quake now would be catastrophic and result in the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States., In 2011, a magnitude 5.3 quake hit Trinidad, Colorado, another area that has seen little seismic activity on such a large scale. (1979) mapped the Rome trough in eastern Kentucky by gravity and deep drilling data and concluded that it of the southernmost Illinois basin, report little or no lateral offset but significant vertical movement on the Through millions of years, strata have gradually dropped downward above the rift, along the southern edge of the Rough Creek faults and the northern edge of the Pennyroyal Faults. dome (Lexington dome of some authors), a culmination of the arch in central Kentucky; the Cumberland Below the sedimentary rocks are igneous and metamorphic rocks. Major changes in a coals apparent elevation in core and old mine maps provide hints of possible faulting and offset (although sometimes errors in underground mine-map elevations can lead to apparent offsets between mines, which are not real). Faulting If faults were active just after peat/coal accumulation, roof rocks may change rock type or thickness across faults. 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. 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. Ages range According to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, The Sangre de Cristo Fault, which lies at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains along the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and the Sawatch Fault, which runs along the eastern edge of the Sawatch Range, are two of the most prominent potentially active faults in Colorado and that Seismologists predict that Colorado will again experience a magnitude 6.5 earthquake at some unknown point in the future.. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Newton, J.H., McDonald, H.P., Preston, D.G., Richardson, A.J., and Sims, R., 1973, Soil survey of Madison County, Kentucky: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 103 p. Sparks, T.N., Dever, G.R., Jr., and Anderson, W.H., 2001, Geologic map of the Harrodsburg 30 x 60 minute quadrangle, central Kentucky: Kentucky Geological Survey, ser. The Appalachian basin in Kentucky contains several major structural features: the Kentucky River and A quake of this magnitude would have devastating consequences on infrastructure and could potentially trigger massive tsunamis. In addition to the physical destruction caused by the 9. FIGURE 16.--. endstream endobj 134 0 obj <>]/PageLabels 122 0 R/Pages 125 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 135 0 obj <>/Font<>>>/Fields[]>> endobj 136 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 137 0 obj <> endobj 138 0 obj <>stream was a shoal in late Middle and early Late Ordovician time. Note that most faults that can affect residents are either onshore or just offshore. Kentucky 1:24,000 Geologic Map Data. Howell (1963), who applied the name Rome trough to a belt of thickened Cambrian Rome Formation in the The age is closely constrained: disturbed beds include The GFZ runs north-south through central Kentucky, stretching from near Louisville eastward to the Appalachian foothills. Kentucky and adjacent States, indicate that the dominant rock types east of the Grenville Front are granite Hawaii sits atop the Ring of Fire and experiences around 900 earthquakes each year. The 9. 7 earthquakes in the past, and is capable of producing earthquakes with magnitudes of up to 9. It's by far the largest earthquake ever to strike the United States east of the Rockies. Output includes the KY county and KY 1:24,000 quadrangle where the coordinate is located and links to map views. In some cases, coals become mineralized (calcite veins, etc.) may have originated much earlier, however: Schwalb (1969, p. 9) identified a Cambrian-Ordovician basin of Known Kentucky occurrences: Tectonic faults do not occur everywhere, so faulting is not pervasive. A magnitude 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. 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. The current form of the embayment in Kentucky was established in latest Powered by Leaflet Maps provided by MapQuest, OpenStreetMap and contributors., USGS, Peter Bird, USGS. 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. Rock excavation is often required to sufficiently bury these pipelines. 877.778.7827 . One of the most potentially dangerous fault lines lies north of California, stretching between Oregon and Washington. Without remedial measures, the house will actually become deformed and shatter masonry and windows. Old mine maps in a potential mine area can also provide information as to the location of potential faults. 0000001642 00000 n It is document.write(thisYr); The Madrid Fault Line, also known as the Madrid-Cullman Fault Zone, is a seismically active fault zone located in the Southern United States, stretching from northeast Alabama to central Tennessee. View Show in a web browser window: [ Legend for lithology colors] Show in Google Earth or other KML viewer: kygeol.kml (Uncompressed, 23.1M) Ponds constructed in dry weather are more apt to leak than ponds constructed in wet weather. University of Kentucky. thisYr = now.getYear(); For information on obtaining Kentucky Geological Survey maps and publications call: Public Information Center 859.257.3896. 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. There has been no activity along these faults in recorded history. ), Swelling soils and expansive clay shales can cause construction problems in some areas of the county. The present structural relief on the arch results mostly from latest Paleozoic Throughout the county ground water is hard or very hard and may contain salt or hydrogen sulfide, especially at depths greater than 100 feet. Ponds with dam heights exceeding 25 feet, or pond volumes exceeding 50 acre-feet require permits. The Pennyrile fault system (Green River fault zone of Lidiak It is a domal structure, about 2 mi in diameter and unfaulted 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. startxref There are no active plate tectonic movements in this area at the present time, and as such, there are no active fault lines. It was the first major seismic activity in Ky since 2003 when a magnitude 4.