4.0 quake in Memphis this morning

[BrandonTO416]

Oh I always luck out, I have been in Memphis for the better part of the last week. I was staying with my roomie in West Memphis when this quake went off this morning. It was hard to feel in Memphis, but it was a solid 4.0 apparently.

Happened this morning...

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsUS/Quakes/nm722.htm

[sleepy]

Well, a 4 isn't too much at all, although from what I've read, people in Memphis felt it.

Must've been about 30 yr. ago--my parents were eating dinner with friends from San Francisco at the old revolving restaurant on top of the White Station Tower when something similar happened--dishes rattled and so on. My parents got a little bit nervous while the SF folks just laughed.

West Memphis? I get only get down there once a year with my cheapo camera. Since you're now in the area, I expect plenty of pics! Hmm . . . . perhaps I should pm you at ssp with my requests.

[BrandonTO416]

Sorry, no pictures at all. Didn't take my camera. I might take some later if I move back.

[PghUSA]

Nice link . . . most don't think of the central Mississippi Valley as a quake zone. New Madrid if memory serves was responsible for one of the most massive quakes in history back around 1800 or 1810 (fortunately not well populated at that time). The water of the Mississippi according to legend was so effected it flowed North for a few days.

[satalac]

Nice link . . . most don't think of the central Mississippi Valley as a quake zone.  New Madrid if memory serves was responsible for one of the most massive quakes in history back around 1800 or 1810 (fortunately not well populated at that time).  The water of the Mississippi according to legend was so effected it flowed North for a few days.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

it also created reel foot lake and rang church bells in d.c.

[rbhriuthbu1234]

Actually most say it rang Church bells in Boston, I felt it, And I don't think it was a 4.0.

[rbhriuthbu1234]

The faultline runs under Downtown Memphis and all the way up through S.t. Lois.

[BrandonTO416]

Well I'm not sure the fault line is downtown Memphis, that may be more rumor then fact. The fault line is on a ridge west of the city about 25 miles I think.

When driving to Little Rock from Memphis, the land is so extremely flat except for a little ridge area somewhat near Forrest City and in St Francis County if I can remember. That is the actual fault line, not Memphis itself. HOWEVER, it could move, I just know that the current quake happened on this ridge/fault line near Caraway and I may mistakenly be thinking that the fault line follows this ridge south.

[Spartan]

There are places tha you wouldn't expect to have earthquakes. Have you ever seen those maps that show the risk of earthquakes? This page shows the current earthquakes in the US. I always thought it was pretty cool. They have a similar thing at teh NC Museum of Natural History in aleigh that shows a 'live' earthquake map. I thiunk 'live' means it updates every 5 mins or so.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

[it's just dave]

I've felt small quakes in Nashville before. It's nothing much, but when the windows rattle and something falls off a shelf, you wonder a bit.

I wish Memphis no harm, but with the size of the new Madrid fault, my Nashville property could be lakefront someday.

[Spartan]

We actually had a 3.1 earthquake in Columbia last week. And an aftershock the other day.... Crazy huh?