Connect with us:   Subscribe to the paper  |   View the mobile edition  |   Get daily e-mail news  |   Get mobile alerts  |   Share your photos  |   Report news  |   Place an ad  |   Contact us


Midwest quake causes ripple in tremor-prone lowcountry

The Post and Courierwith wire reports
Friday, April 18, 2008


Repercussions from Friday's 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Illinois rippled through the Lowcountry.

Inquiries came all day to the South Carolina Earthquake Education and Preparedness Center at the College of Charleston as well as to a local author of a book about the Great Earthquake on 1886.

Quakes are fairly common in the Lowcountry, where faults converge beneath the Ashley River. A dozen or more smaller temblors are recorded per year. A 2.5 magnitude temblor struck near Hanahan in October 2007. The devastating 1886 Charleston earthquake killed 100 people and destroyed or damaged most of the buildings in Charleston and Summerville.

"Every time this happens it renews the interest and, thank goodness, the awareness about earthquakes in Charleston and the threat they present," said Mount Pleasant author Richard Cote, who wrote "City of Heroes" about the 1886 quake and recovery.

Friday's quake occurred at 4:30 a.m. six miles from West Salem, Ill., and 45 miles from Evansville, Ind. It rattled skyscrapers in Chicago, homes in Cincinnati and was felt as far as Atlanta, nearly 400 miles away. Dozens of aftershocks followed, one with a magnitude of 4.6. No major injuries or damage were reported by Friday afternoon.

The quake is believed to have involved the Wabash fault, a northern extension of the New Madrid fault. It came shortly after the release of a study by a Northwestern University in Chicago seismologist that suggested another catastrophic temblor like the 1886 quake, or the 1811-1812 New Madrid quake along the Mississippi River, might not be as imminent as people think.



Read more in Saturday's edition of The Post and Courier.




Article tools




Latest local stories





Sponsored Links


Notice about comments:
Charleston.net is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Charleston.net does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not charleston.net. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Comments

This article has  0 comment(s)


(Requires free registration.)

Username:
Password: (Forgotten your password?)

Comment:

Search Charleston.Net Archives for Latest News






Charleston.Net Customer Care | Subscribe to Paper, Register for email news updates, manage your online account, place a classified ad, or contact us




Charleston.net logo

Copyright © 1997 - 2008 the Evening Post Publishing Co.

Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of service, Privacy policy and our Parental consent form. (Updated 2/9/2007)