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1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake

Coordinates:39°12′N96°18′W/ 39.2°N 96.3°W/39.2; -96.3
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1867 Manhattan earthquake
1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake is located in Kansas
Manhattan
Manhattan
1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake
UTCtime1867-04-24
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateApril 24, 1867(1867-04-24)
Local time14:30[1]
Magnitude5.1Mfa[1]
Epicenter39°12′N96°18′W/ 39.2°N 96.3°W/39.2; -96.3
Areas affectedKansas,U.S.
Max.intensityVII (Very strong)[1]
CasualtiesMany injured

On 24 April 1867, a bigearthquakehitRiley County, Kansas,in the United States.[2][3]The maximumMercalli intensitywas VII (Very strong), and amagnitudeof 5.1 was given. It caused small damage in Kansas,Iowa,andMissouri,according to theUnited States Geological Survey.It was felt across a area of 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2), even reachingIndiana,Illinois,and possiblyOhio.It was one of the biggest earthquakes in thehistory of Kansas.[4]

Manhattan is close to the Nemaha Ridge, which is a long, folded rock structure with some surrounding faults. In 2016, a hazard map by theUnited States Geological Surveysaid a very low (1% or less) chance of a big earthquake happening in Kansas in the next year.

Background and geography[change|change source]

The Humboldt Fault (red) and Midcontinent Rift System (green)

An earthquake happened inManhattan,Kansas, close to theKansas Riverand theBig Blue River.[2]This area is close to the Nemaha Ridge, which is an oldgraniterange withfaultsthat likely caused the earthquake.[5]The area also has the Humboldt Fault Zone, which acts as the eastern boundary of the range and is a important source of earthquakes in the state.[2]This fault is anormal,or dip-slip fault,[6]making for many smalltremorseach year, smaller than magnitude 2.7.[2]

The Nemaha Ridge is about 50 miles east of the Midcontinentrift,a layer ofbasalticrock that's very old, around 1.1 billion years. This rift (tear) stretches from Lake Superior in the north to Kansas in the south. In Kansas, the Central Kansas Uplift, with has faults, caused some small earthquakes in the late 1980s. According to Don Steeples, ageophysicistfrom theUnited States Geological Survey,earthquake activity has decreased in the Humboldt Zone but increased in the Uplift region.[7]

The Humboldt Fault Zone, found here, is making for many earthquakes inKansas.This fault goes through Permian rock and might be more complicated than people thought before. The earthquake was felt across a huge area, about 193,000 square miles (500,000 km2), although some sources listed the felt area as 300,000 square miles (780,000 km2),[8]or 95,000 square miles (250,000 km2).[9]This broad reach happened because of the specificgeologyin the region. Unlike coastal areas where earthquakes are often confined to smaller regions, in Kansas, they spread out widely due to the firm ground and their relatively shallow depth.

In February 2016, there was a earthquake that hit in Oklahoma, with a magnitude of 5.1. It made the ground shake in the Manhattan area, and this was reported in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.[10]A study found that 100 earthquakes on theRichter scalebetween December 1977 and June 1989 using a seismograph network. These quakes varied in size, with the strongest being a 4.0 on the Richter scale and the weakest measuring 0.8.[11]

Damage and casualties[change|change source]

Lane University shook from the earthquake

At 20:22 UTC, or around 2:30 local time,[12]the big earthquake hit in Kansas. It was a very strong earthquake with a maximumMercalli intensity scaleof VII. It caused small damage across a wide area, affecting 22 counties in Kansas,[13]and injuries were reported. The earthquake caused various types of damage, such as breaking walls, knocking down chimneys, and harming buildings, even causing stones to come loose.[1]In Manhattan, near the epicenter, clocks stopped, and residents felt electrical shocks. The following day, there was anaftershockbetween 3 and 4 a.m.[14]Damage in Manhattan and other communities might have been made worse by them being low-lying valleys.[15]

At a farm 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the city ofWamego,the earthquake caused liquefaction of the ground.[16]To the north of Wamego, in the city ofLouisville,the earthquake caused harm to horses. In both Louisville and the city ofLeavenworth,chimneys falls.[1]InPaola,the earthquake destroyed one wall in a newspaper office building. Waves were seen on the Kansas River, reaching 2.0 feet (0.6 m) in height.[1]The city of Atchison felt two shocks, which fell lamps and bottles in a drug store, buildings shook, and water flow in rivers and creeks was disrupted.

InEmporia,there was an earthquake with a low rumbling sound, windows shook, and small boxes fell off shelves as people ran out of buildings. InLawrence,it felt three earthquakes in just 30 seconds, causing doors and windows to shake violently, plaster to break, and a loud rumbling noise. The city ofFort Scottonly trembled, while Iola had shaking houses and tableware. Holton saw items knocked off shelves, and buildings shook. Irving residents heard rumbling before badly tremors lasting 30 seconds. InJunction City,buildings shook violently, moving many inches.Kansas Cityexperienced tables moving, cracked walls, spilled water, cracked plaster, and general panic.[17]

InLawrence,it felt three earthquakes in just 30 seconds, causing doors and windows to shake violently, plaster to break, loud rumbling noise, and overturned stove.Leavenworthfelt three shocks, causing a man being knocked off a hayload, a rumbling noise, and stopped clocks. Lecompton's Lane University building shook, and Marysville's high school shook violently.[14]

InMontgomery County,people in moving vehicles did not feel the earthquake.[18]InMound City,Ottawa,Olathe,andOskaloosa,many houses shook. InOskaloosa,the cupola (dome) of a new school wobbled. A train on the Pacific Railroad in Solomon shook violently, prompting evacuation. In Topeka, the ceiling of a Methodist church bent, and nearly all windows in one schoolhouse were destroyed. White Cloud felt two shocks, andWyandotte Countyresidents were awakened.[15]

Reports fromIowaandMissouridescribe fallen plaster inDubuque,shaking buildings inDes Moines,and cracked plaster inChillicothe.Dubuque, Iowahad three shocks, during which gas burners shook, there was panic among residents, rattled windows, shaken chairs, newspaper cases, and even made holes in brick walls.[19]InSt. Joseph, Missouri,windows broke, some women fainted, and a loud rumbling noise happened.

TheChicago Tribune,in its article "At Leavenworth, Kansas", said that the earthquake was a complete surprise. They described it as sudden and said that it scared everyone because earthquakes don't happen a lot in the past.[20]

The Chicago Tribune write a article about a big earthquake in Kansas. One article called "At Kansas City" said the earthquake shook homes suddenly and made a loud noise like thunder.[12]Another article called, "At Leavenworth, Kansas", says that the earthquake was a surprise, and people were scared.[20]

Future threats[change|change source]

The Tuttle Creek dam and reservoir in Kansas

Earthquakes don't happen a lot in Kansas. A big one could be a big problem for the state. If an earthquake happens, it would probably happen at the Nemaha Ridge, which is stillactive.[21]There is also the Humboldt Fault Zone near the Ridge. If an earthquake were to hit there, it could break the nearby Tuttle Creek Dam, releasing a lot of water and flooding the nearby area. This would put about 13,000 people and 5,900 homes in danger. Since 2013, more than 500 earthquakes have happened in the state. TheUnited States Army Corps of Engineersfound that a earthquake between 5.7 and 6.6 could make the ground under the dam turn intoquicksand.That would make the dam stretch out and the top of the dam drop by up to three feet.[2]A big earthquake could make holes in the dam, letting water go through and eventually destroying the dam. Earthquakes that might be bad for the dam happen roughly every 1,800 years. The Corps of Engineers has made the dam stronger because of this. They replaced the sand under the dam with more than 350 walls and addedsensorsconnected toalarmsto warn people nearby if there is an earthquake.[2]

Since 2013, over 500 earthquakes have been recorded in the state, which has reawakened old fault lines. In 2016, theUnited States Geological Surveymade maps showing the earthquake risk for the state, and they found that there is a 1% or lower chance of a big earthquake in the next year. BecauseSedgwick CountyandWichitanoticed that shaking from earthquakes that existing building codes can not handle, officials in the area have thinking about changing the building codes to address this risk. Scientists at the United States Geological Survey believe that there is still a possibility of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, possibly originating from the Nemaha Ridge where the earthquake hit.[5]

Related pages[change|change source]

References[change|change source]

  1. ↑1.01.11.21.31.41.5Stover & Coffman 1993,p. 236.
  2. ↑2.02.12.22.32.42.5Metz, C (2 May 2008)."Earthquakes in Kansas a real threat".Lawrence Journal-World.Retrieved2 September2023.
  3. ↑Bakun, W.H. (2004)."M 5.2 - Between Manhattan and Topeka, Kansas".United States Geological Survey.Retrieved2 September2023.
  4. ↑"Today in Earthquake History".United States Geological Survey.Retrieved3 September2023.
  5. ↑5.05.1Morrison, O (9 January 2016)."With great uncertainty, geologists try to predict the chance of a big quake striking Kansas".The Kansas City Star.Retrieved3 September2023.
  6. ↑Wasowski, Giordan & Lollino 2017,p. 206.
  7. ↑"Small Kansas earthquakes shift westward".Lawrence Journal-World.Ogden Newspapers, Inc. March 2, 1987.Retrieved20 September2023.
  8. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 9.
  9. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 16.
  10. ↑Wood, J. (13 February 2016)."Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes Kansas, Oklahoma".The Wichita Eagle.The McClatchy Company.
  11. ↑Steeples, D. W.; Brosius, L. (July 2014)."Earthquakes".Kansas Geological Survey.Retrieved16 September2023.
  12. ↑12.012.1"At Kansas City".Chicago Tribune.Tribune Company. p. 2.
  13. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,pp. 9–15.
  14. ↑14.014.1DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 11.
  15. ↑15.015.1DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 15.
  16. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 4.
  17. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 10.
  18. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,p. 13.
  19. ↑DuBois & Wilson 1978,pp. 9–10.
  20. ↑20.020.1"At Leavenworth, Kansas".Chicago Tribune.Tribune Company. 1867.
  21. ↑Merriam 1956,p. 87.

Sources[change|change source]

  • DuBois, S. M.; Wilson, F. W. (1978).A Revised and Augmented List of Earthquake Intensities for Kansas, 1867–1977(PDF).Kansas Geological Survey.
  • Merriam, D. F. (April 1956)."History of earthquakes in Kansas".Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.Seismological Society of America.
  • Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J. L. (1993).Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (Revised): U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527.United States Government Printing Office.
  • Wasowski, J.; Giordan, D.; Lollino, P. (2017).Engineering Geology and Geological Engineering for Sustainable Use of the Earth's Resources, Urbanization and Infrastructure Protection from Geohazards: Proceedings of the 1st GeoMEast International Congress and Exhibition, Egypt 2017 on Sustainable Civil Infrastructures.Springer Publishing.
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