[ad_1]
A map provided by the US Geological Survey shows the region that suffered the 4.4 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday.
US Geological Survey
Hide the legend
Toggle the legend
United States. Geological Survey
A map provided by the US Geological Survey shows the area that was affected by the magnitude 4.4 earthquake on Wednesday.
US. Geological Survey
Before sunrise Wednesday on Tennessee, some residents of the eastern half of the state were woken up. But it was not a friend or a partner who woke them up, it was the floor under their bed.
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred at approximately 0414 ET near Decatur, Tennessee, about 150 miles southeast of Nashville. But the people of Tennessee were not the only ones to feel the chaos. More than 7,700 people (to date) have reported living from Kentucky and northern Alabama to the western Carolinas. The earthquake made its presence felt even in Atlanta.
"Many people have been woken up – literally," Amy Vaughan, geophysicist of the US Geological Survey, told NPR. According to her, given the low intensity of the earthquake, it may have caused structural damage or dropped objects on the walls, but it was probably much more shocking to residents than breaking their equipment. "I mean, it's probably not something that people are used to."
For good reason: Vaughan says that since 1973, it has been only the sixth earthquake of magnitude greater than 4.0 that affected the seismic zone around the southern Appalachians. And it was the second largest recorded in in eastern Tennessee, behind a magnitude 4.7 earthquake only 45 years ago.
This morning 's earthquake, located near Decatur, at M4.4, is the second – worst ever recorded in the east of TN, according to the USGS. The strongest was a M4.7 near Maryville in 1973. #the earthquake
– NWS Morristown (@NWSMorristown) December 12, 2018
It is not however unusual For an earthquake as small to be felt so intensely and so widely – at least, it is not unusual to talk about earthquakes in the East Rockies.
"Not all magnitudes are equal," says Vaughan.
Seismic waves move more efficiently through older, denser rocks in eastern North America, and thicker sediment deposits further amplify tremor. And fewer buildings in the East are designed to withstand potential earthquakes.
"An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 in 2011 in Mineral, Virginia, was felt up to 600 km from the epicenter.Tens of millions of people in the eastern states And in southeastern Canada have felt this earthquake, "says the USGS.
"For comparison, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in 2014 in Napa, California, was felt only up to 250 miles from the epicenter. Napa land, about twice as much energy as the Virginia earthquake, causing more damage near the epicenter, this has not been felt almost as far. "
In and around Tennessee, at least the wider range also offered a greater opportunity for sneaky comments on the Internet. We'll just leave you with some of your favorite quibbles shaken by the earthquake.
[ad_2]
Source link
