Arkansas Had Earthquakes On Monday

October 13, 2010

Did you hear that central Arkansas had earthquakes Monday? The largest earthquake registered 3.8 in magnitude. Some of the quakes were felt in Louisiana, about 200 miles away. The US Geological Survey says there have been 19 recorded quakes in the area since Sunday.

Yes, this is in the area of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12. They were felt from New York to New Orleans, as well as into the western part of the Missouri River. During that quake, and for the next four months, a million and a half square miles were affected as the earth's surface was almost always moving.  This is the most seismically active area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains.

The book When the Mississippi Ran Backwards by Jay Feldman tells about the New Madrid quake and several historical stories that were happening at the same time.  A slave was murdered by nephews of Thomas Jefferson, but the evidence was preserved by the earthquake. Governor William Henry Harrison was preparing to push American Indians out of most of Indian and Illinois.  Harrison's faceoff with Tecumseh happened just about four weeks before the big earthquake. John James Audubon was living in Louisville at the time, and was not yet known as a wildlife artist.

As the Mississippi River surged with the earthquake, the first steamboat on the Mississippi River rolled with the water. It was designed by Robert Fulton, and was 116 feet long and named the "New Orleans".  Those on board recorded their experiences for us to relive. Check out the multi-faceted history of the New Madrid area and its huge earthquake at your library branch.

Howard B.
Dearborn Branch