The New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 were three large earthquakes that occurred near New Madrid, Missouri, from December 1811 to February 1812. There were thousands of aftershocks, approximately 1,874 of them. they were so large that they could be felt as far away as Louisville, Kentucky, nearly 190 miles away. It is not known how many lives were lost in the earthquakes; however, researchers say that number was probably not very high. The region affected by the earthquake was sparsely populated. The main shock occurred around 2:15 a.m. on December 16, 1811. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay This occurred because of movement along the Cottonwood Grove Fault in Arkansas. This was then followed by three large aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 6.0 to 7.0 which occurred over the next 48 hours. Even though the shaking was so strong, only minor damage was reported to man-made structures. Including collapsing chimneys, falling trees and cracking wood in houses. Some areas sank, while others were heaved. Soil liquefaction caused large sand movements that destroyed farmland in states like Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Because rocks in the eastern United States have few active faults that could interrupt the propagation of seismic waves, ground vibrations from earthquakes generated in the region can travel up to thousands of kilometers. Eyewitnesses noted that the tremors caused church bells to ring as far away as Boston, Massachusetts. , and brought down chimneys in Cincinnati, Ohio, about 360 miles away. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake was the strongest of the day and became known as the "dawn aftershock" at 7:15 a.m. The second earthquake occurred on January 23 and was the smallest of the three earthquakes. The main shock occurred at 9:15 a.m., its estimated magnitude was around 7.5. It is unclear where the epicenter of the earthquake was. Its location is believed to have been somewhere around New Madrid, Missouri, along a fault perpendicular to the Reelfoot Fault. No notable damage in the area was reported; however, landscape changes, such as those that occurred on December 16, would have occurred. The third earthquake occurred on February 7, 1811. The epicenter of the shock was also located near New Madrid, Missouri. It struck at 3:45 a.m. and led to the destruction of the area known as New Madrid. Structural damage also occurred in St. Louis, Missouri. Several chimneys fell due to ground vibrations. The landscape has been damaged in several ways, including: ground deformation due to subsidence and heaving, sand blasts, ground cracks, landslides and calving of stream banks. Also Lake St. Francis in Arkansas, a body of water formed due to subsidence caused by previous earthquakes that occurred in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Flatboat operators reported that the flow of the Mississippi River had suddenly reversed; however, studies since then show that the tremors produced waves of water moving northward, giving the impression that the river had reversed its course. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document now from our editors..