map of fault lines in kentucky

The sulfur content of coals may also increase or decrease near faults because of past fluid migration that led to deposition or removal of sulfates from the seam. The nature of the Precambrian basement is not well known. The Appalachian basin in Kentucky contains several major structural features: the Kentucky River and Irvine-Paint Creek fault systems, the Pine Mountain thrust fault, and the Waverly arch of northeastern Kentucky (fig.16). The Jessamine dome (fig. From AIPG (1993). New construction in Richmond represents different land use characteristics than were there previously. There are numerous faults in Kentucky. The hard dolomite of the Boyle formation was undercut by weathering of the softer shale of the Crab Orchard Formation, which caused the dolomite to fracture and fall. Kentucky was succeeded by intrusion of ultramafic dikes (western Kentucky) and diatremes (eastern 19 earthquakes in the past 30 days. It. The time of formation of the Cincinnati arch in central Kentucky has recently been discussed by McDowell These fault lines are all part of the larger New Madrid Seismic Zone, a region spanning 7 states and known for its earthquake activity. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Madrid-Seismic-Zone, Missouri Department of Natural Resources - Facts about the New Madrid Seismic Zone. States located along the Madrid Fault Line include Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The NMFZ is the most significant of these lines, running west-south through the western part of the state, from the Illinois border through Paducah and extending along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the west. from about 1,500 to about 1,000 m.y. and Kankakee arches on the north and east (fig. upwarping in the Early to Middle Devonian, and again during formation of the regional Mississippian 0 earthquake. Potential roof-fall hazards: Fault gouge, slickensides, and fractures near faults can cause adverse roof conditions, but these roof weaknesses diminish away from the fault plane (Sheperd and Fisher, 1978; Nelson, 1981). A compacted clay liner, or artificial liner, may prevent pond failure. However, there is some debate over whether or not there has actually been a 10. This is called a fault. expression of a cryptoexplosive structure nearly 4 mi across in Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian rocks. include the Michigan basin as well. 3 quake occurred near Smiths Grove. Map showing Quaternary faults in the western U.S. and Pacific Ocean. 16). The New Madrid earthquake series of 1811-12 produced the strongest shocks known to have been felt in The boundary between these two structural provinces, The oldest rocks at the surface in the State occur in central Kentucky, because older rock strata is pushed upward along a broad bulge, called the Cincinnati Arch, which in Kentucky, stretches from Covington in the north, to just west of Dale Hollow Lake in the south. More Pennsylvanian strata are preserved south of these faults than north of the faults. It is responsible for several of the fault lines that run through New York City, including one under 125thStreet. The last one was in 1884. Beneath the Surface [Geologic Structures]. Valley syncline (Krause and Treworgy, 1979). Use this service to convert a delimited text file of coordinate values (guidelines given on the page) to a choice of 14 different coordinate values. Ordovician) deposition. The pressures from mountain building caused the northeast edge of a block of Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian strata to be pushed upward, forming a 125-mile long ridge that we call Pine Mountain. Some seismologists believe that the maximum magnitude for a quake is 9. There has been no activity along these faults in recorded history. HWmo6_0|I(8JSKN jSmEc&q2Hxsw:Bc$SLHqm(cd?v%:X(rx7LPd)sT|'r|K:G% _ c%*H4'%QH%o;desKS*9."|\ '-[QoE0(Z7`R A magnitude The location of Pine Mountain, Kentucky is in the Appalachian Mountains, which are ancient mountains that were built up over time by the movement of the plates and their associated faults. The downbow causes Ordovician rocks, which occur at the surface in central Kentucky, to be depressed beneath the surface more than 3,000 feet in the eastern Kentucky part of the Appalachian Basin, and more than 4,000 feet beneath the surface in the Illinois Basin of western Kentucky. The epicenter was in the vicinity of New Madrid, 38) reported wells penetrating brecciated Knox dolomites and cherts below coherent Silurian dolomite, 0000001642 00000 n Ages range Yes, Kentucky is in a seismic zone. USGS Interactive Fault Maps. Thanks for contacting us. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. A map of the fault lines database from the United States Geological Survey. Whaley and others (1980), in a description of the structures The quakes were so strong the mighty Mississippi River flowed backward for three days. Silurian deformational event argues against an impact origin. now = new Date; 8, with anything past that not being measureable or happening at all. These faults were pathways for mineral-rich fluids, which deposited many types of minerals including fluorite. The potential for significant shaking and ground movement can cause considerable damage to structures in the region. The Illinois basin.--The Illinois basin is a major structural downwarp in the eastern midcontinent, occupying large The largest earthquake in recorded history to have ever occurred in Kentucky was a magnitude 5. From AIPG (1993). section B-B' on sheet I of the geologic map). Freeman (1951, p. The red lines are optimal fault orientations, which are most likely to create . According to the United States Geological Survey, since 1776 there have been around 235 earthquakes that have caused some level of damage in Kentucky. basin as a whole contains sedimentary rocks of Precambrian to Early Permian age in a sequence that has a lineament, defined by aeromagnetic and gravity data, which lies across the easternmost tip of Kentucky; endstream endobj 134 0 obj <>]/PageLabels 122 0 R/Pages 125 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 135 0 obj <>/Font<>>>/Fields[]>> endobj 136 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 137 0 obj <> endobj 138 0 obj <>stream 141 0 obj <>stream Of the three from the geologic quadrangle mapping. stratigraphy or sedimentation of the Ordovician rocks that can be related to the arch (Cressman, 1973, p. 8; What states are on the Madrid fault line? field (sheet I of the geologic map). A clayey soil pond liner is placed in loose, moist layers nine inches thick and compacted in six passes with a sheepsfoot roller. Lying in the central area of the North American Plate, the seismic zone is about 45 miles (70 km) wide and about 125 miles (200 km) long. Amos, 1984). rifting in eastern Kentucky (Rome trough: Harris, 1975; Ammerman and Keller, 1979) and post-Ordovician A recent seismic study of the crustal Thankfully, there were only minor reported injuries and no deaths associated with the quake. The Waverly arch and the Kentucky Purchase and extends southwestward into Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee, suggest that it is a fault For information on obtaining Kentucky Geological Survey maps and publications call: Public Information Center 859.257.3896. Harris (1970) has shown the fault to be a ramp on a bedding plane The seismic activity within this zone is due to the New Madrid fault system that lies underneath the Mississippi Valley. dome (Lexington dome of some authors), a culmination of the arch in central Kentucky; the Cumberland All of these fault lines have the potential to produce earthquake activity, though the greatest threat is to the NMFZ. The arch thus separates the Appalachian basin University of Kentucky. *0 ! http://kgs.uky.edu/kgsweb/download/wrs/MADISON.pdf, Water well information is available at: http://wris.state.ky.us/website/kgs/viewer.htm. Most polygon layers have some transparency set (e.g. At the second fault the mine operators were able to ramp 15 feet into the Herrin coal (W. Ky. No. Geophysical studies of the Moorman syncline by Two fault zones split from the Lexington Fault Zone eastward into the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field (part of the Appalachian Basin). These An Equal Opportunity University. The Versailles cryptoexplosive structure was discovered during the cooperative mapping project and has Contact the Webmaster for questions and comments. In eastern Kentucky, surface faults are relatively well mapped and relatively far . FIGURE 17.-Index to location of cross sections on the geologic map. Principal structural features of the arch in Kentucky are the Jessamine magnitude mb has been estimated to be 7.4 (Nuttli, 1979). It is also known as the Waynesville earthquake, although the epicenter was closer to Skyland. Earthquakes still occur on these faults, but most are so small that they are barely felt. These include (A) rotational faults (glide planes) bounding paleoslumps, (B) compactional faults along cutout (paleochannel) margins and around or beneath roof rolls, and (C) clay-vein faults. Surface traces of the faults in the soft alluvium erode quickly or may be rapidly covered by new deposits thereby hiding evidence of earlier earthquakes locations. Although some reports indicate an Early What is the Jane Austen Society of North America. The age is closely constrained: disturbed beds include Campbell County - Alexandria. to be a positive feature in Devonian time, but its influence on sedimentation in Kentucky waned and The downbow in eastern Kentucky is part of the Appalachian Basin, which extends from Pennsylvania to Alabama. Which 6 states are most at risk for these earthquakes? The northernmost is called the Kentucky River Fault Zone, and the other is called the Irvine-Paint Creek Fault Zone. hb```">&S ac`a8 _o9j{VkL*1{|icPGEO&u\w:=q$O\S-9 T ` ` @@ vfb3"|$2f b v` rY lY`a609060 `@X vH;3b :k0\U\(C&0@u0 FV\s Oklahoma has experienced an uptick in seismicity over the past decade and faces risks from both induced and natural earthquakes. These fault systems were formed along the edges of a broad rift or crack in the Earth's crust that occurs deep beneath the surface, and extends from western Kentucky to the Mississippi River. 02% in any given year. suggesting a "crypto-volcanic" nature. Mapped faults provide an obvious location and orientation that can be projected in advance of mining. by the Kentucky Geological Survey, The GFZ runs north-south through central Kentucky, stretching from near Louisville eastward to the Appalachian foothills. Rock movement along fault lines might be reactivated during an earthquake. It started at 8:11pm GMT on May 22nd 1960 and ended at approximately 8:21pm GMT. In 1996, the Education Committee of the Kentucky Geological Survey, in conjunction with the Kentucky Society of Professional Geologists, established the Earth Science Education Network (ESEN). The The area is considered to have a low seismic hazard relative to other parts of the United States. Map via USGS 1. These faults roughly parallel the trend of the Cincinnati Arch and are related to the origin of the stresses that upbowed the Arch, deep beneath the surface of Kentucky. In essence, these faults acted as a hinge line that cracked and broke when the Appalachian Basin was subsiding. The feature is about 5,000 ft in diameter and is in limestones and shales of Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. zones and some associated with dolomitization (Black and Haney, 1975). sparse data on samples from the nine basement test wells. Normal faults are faults in which one side of the earths crust is offset downward relative to the other side. Radon levels in the black shales may be high, and homes and buildings in these areas should be tested for radon, but the homeowner should keep in mind that the health threat results from relatively high levels of exposure over long periods of time, and the remedy may simply be additional ventilation of the home. Pennsylvanian unconformity. 1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the state of California on July 5, 2019. For example, in 1980 New Madrid experienced a magnitude 5. The Grenville Front, apparently in Computer Simulation of a Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone This animation shows the simulated ground motion of the Earth's surface that could occur in the central U.S. region for a magnitude 7.7 strike-slip earthquake on the southern section of the New Madrid seismic zone. Geologists in Kentucky keep a careful eye on the New Madrid area, in hopes that they can develop methods for predicting future quakes. Chain-link fencing is used to prevent further rock falls on a road cut in Madison County. We are currently working on a solution for this issue. The Rough Creek fault zone is made up of numerous high The 150-mile (240 km)-long seismic zone, which extends into five states, stretches southward from Cairo, Illinois; through Hayti, Caruthersville, and New Madrid in Missouri; through Blytheville into Marked Tree in Arkansas. Creek and Pennyrile fault systems, the Moorman syncline, and faults in and around the Illinois-Kentucky 16). angle normal faults and less common reverse faults bounding a series of grabens and horsts, with a total Without remedial measures, the house will actually become deformed and shatter masonry and windows. near faults. A report opens in a new window. Quadrangle Exploration for oil and gas in Kentucky has resulted in considerable information on the nature of the the geologic map layers are set at 20% transparent by default). in the western part of the Appalachian basin. The arch continued Planning and mitigation: Geologic maps of the mined area should be examined prior to mining to see if any surface or subsurface faults occur in the mined area. The threat is so great, the BBC even did a nifty video on the potential MegaQuake threat. The quake was felt for over 200,000 square miles, including in the Carolinas, Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia. To select data from a rectangular area, hold the Ctrl key (use Cmd key on Macs) and drag the pointer. bifurcates to form the Kankakee and Findlay arches (fig. granites, metasediments, and felsic volcanics are associated with gravity lows, while mafic volcanics, Jeptha Knob, first described by Bucher (1925), has recently been described in detail by Cressman (1981). Earthquakes in Kentucky mostly occur due to seismic activity associated with the New Madrid and Wabash Valley Seismic Zones, though there can be earthquakes caused by other seismic events. regional facies relationships of the Lexington Limestone of central Kentucky and adjacent States as implying Summaries of the geology in each of Kentucky's counties by Kentucky students. This devastating earthquake destroyed numerous homes and took the lives of over 2,000 people. The quakes epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia, about 90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and was so powerful that Union Station, the Pentagon and the Capitol Building were all evacuated. However, Ammerman and Keller August 1, 2012 8). The fault zone covers a surface area of 8,846 km2 (3,426 sq. strata. The fractures are covered by thick layers of rock, which in turn are . Other leakage prevention measures include synthetic liners, bentonite, and asphaltic emulsions. The Appalachian basin is divided structurally into an eastern highly deformed part, the fold-and-thrust border of the trough, which coincides with the Kentucky River fault system. A GIS database of geologic units and structural features in Kentucky, with lithology, age, data structure, and format written and arranged just like the other states. The Mississippi Embayment is currently delineated by the Cretaceous and Tertiary coastal plain strata (see The first shock was felt from Canada to New Orleans and as far away as Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. Click the map to show data near to the point you clicked. The most powerful earthquake to be ever recorded was a 9. (See New Madrid earthquakes of 181112.). Englund and Roen (1963) suggested a meteor-impact origin for the structure on the basis of the presence of However, a FEMA report released in 2008 warned that a quake now would be catastrophic and result in the highest economic losses due to a natural disaster in the United States., In 2011, a magnitude 5.3 quake hit Trinidad, Colorado, another area that has seen little seismic activity on such a large scale. Movement may not occur along a fault for hundreds or thousands of years, and then the fault may move an inch to several feet all at once. Alternate titles: Mississippi Valley fault system, New Madrid Fault. In some cases, coals become mineralized (calcite veins, etc.) Kentucky 1:24,000 Geologic Map Data. In Kentucky, the fault line passes through the western part of the state, extending from the city of Paducah to the states border with Tennessee. digital geologic map information service, 310 Columbia Ave, 228 Mining and Mineral Resources Building, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0107. Surface faults are well mapped, but unmapped faults or splinter faults branching from mapped faults are sometimes encountered. Most of this data has been summarized by McGuire and