Small Earthquake Rattles Ark., Neighbors

 

 

 

 

By Associated Press

 

February 10, 2005, 6:02 PM EST

 

CARAWAY, Ark. -- A small earthquake centered in northeastern Arkansas rattled parts of several states Thursday but caused no major damage.

 

Shaking was felt as far away as Memphis, Tenn., and in Mississippi casinos. Window blinds and doors shook and swayed, pictures fell from the walls and telephone service was briefly interrupted in one small town in Arkansas.

 

The quake hit at 8:05 a.m. about four miles east of Caraway. Over the course of the day, the U.S. Geological Survey gave varying magnitudes for the quake -- from 3.9 to 4.2.

 

"It was shaking," said John Cannon, who was roused awake by a brief rumble in Memphis, 50 miles south of the epicenter. "I thought someone got in the bed with me. It was strong."

 

The quake was centered in the New Madrid seismic zone, which covers portions of Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. One of the largest earthquakes ever to strike in North America, estimated at magnitude 7.5, was centered at New Madrid, Mo., during a series of temblors in the winter of 1811-1812.

 

Helen Parker, the sheriff's dispatcher in the county where Thursday's quake was centered, said no damage was reported but the switchboard lit up.

 

"Calls were from curious people who want to know what it was," Parker said. "One called to verify it, to make sure his daddy wasn't crazy."

 

Copyright ? 2005, The Associated Press

Wonder if this implicates any future big quakes from the seismic zone. Like the big one in the 1800s.

there's actually a fairly significant fault line there if i recall.

 

 

 

forget what its called...but its been rather dormant in recent years of anything worth noting.

 

 

i do know that san antonio is in a perfect world in terms of seismic activity...as we arent really near any fault like that does anything in the past 500 some odd years at least.

Earthquakes are felt all over the U.S...even as far south as Key West.

 

In January 1880, Cuba was the center of two strong earthquakes that sent severe shock waves through the town of Key West, Florida. The tremors occurred at 11 p.m. on January 22 and at 4 a.m. on the 23rd. At Buelta Abajo and San Christobal, Cuba, many buildings were thrown down and some people were killed.

 

 

A sudden jar caused doors and windows to rattle at Captiva in November 1948. The apparent earthquake was accompanied by sounds like distant heavy explosions. Captiva is located on Captiva Island, in the Gulf west of Fort Myers.