Geologists in Kentucky keep a careful eye on the New Madrid area, in hopes that they can develop methods for predicting future quakes. 0000001550 00000 n 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. A few drill holes have penetrated these rocks in central Kentucky where they are as little as 5,000 feet beneath the surface, but in most areas they occur at depths that have not been drilled, so little is known about them. Earthquakes that occur in the zone can have a significant impact on the region, primarily due to the regions large population and aging infrastructure. Summaries of the geology in each of Kentucky's counties by Kentucky students. The Irvine-Paint Creek fault system extends eastward from central This structure is not Still, this quake caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure in the area, with an estimated $3 million worth of damages. The arch continued While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. northeastern Kentucky (Dever and others, 1977). 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. the Illinois basin in Kentucky and forms the northern boundary of the east-west-trending Moorman The quake woke a lot of people in the northeast up to the Virginia Seismic Zone (VSZ) below the Mason Dixon and the consequential effects it could have on major cities along the East Coast. The quake was felt across much of the state and many neighboring states. Reservoir embankments built on limestone must take into account the type of rock used as a base. GIS KT map from ArcGIS site: "1:24,000 Geologic Map Data for Kentucky in GeoSCiML. Solid lines indicate fault traces. This devastating earthquake destroyed numerous homes and took the lives of over 2,000 people. Weir and others, 1984), though Borella and Osborne (1978) suggested that the area of the Jessamine dome the geologic map layers are set at 20% transparent by default). This 150 mile-long series of faults stretches under five states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, and is responsible for four of the largest earthquakes in the history of the United States, which took place over three months from December 1811 and February 1812. The Jessamine dome (fig. Creek but has fewer and smaller faults; fault scarps along this system exposed by strip mining of the coal Thanks for contacting us. It hugs the borders of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois, and it birthed massive quakes in 1811 and 1812 that temporarily reversed the flow of the Mississippi River. In 2011, New Yorkers were jolted by a5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the East Coast from New Hampshire all the way down through Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 5) also show right lateral offset of about The faults shown on the Madison County map represent seismic activity that occurred several million years ago at the latest. 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. Branches of the fault extend into Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Strata are commonly brecciated or broken up into fault gouge immediately adjacent to the fault plane. # / ) ) 0 $! Yes, Kentucky is in a seismic zone. basin as a whole contains sedimentary rocks of Precambrian to Early Permian age in a sequence that has a 12, Geologic Map 1, scale 1:100,000. Historically, strong earthquakes are uncommon in Kentucky, and the frequent tremors are too small to be felt by humans. Welcome to the Kentucky Geography Network. It was the largest tremor felt in the state since 2003. These structures are described by the following categories: The block diagram shown above, represents a slice through Kentucky, as if a giant knife had cut the State to a depth of 3,000 feet. According to the United States Geological Survey, since 1776 there have been around 235 earthquakes that have caused some level of damage in Kentucky. Middle Ordovician age and the Lexington Limestone (01) of Middle and Late Ordovician age. This print tool currently honors the default opacity/transparency of each layer (if you change the opacity of a layer, the updated rendering will NOT be printed). 30 mi wide, which coincides with gravity and magnetic highs and extends from south-central Kentucky into Pennsylvanian unconformity. 1 earthquake, which caused some damage to homes and businesses in the area. In the fall of 1996, ESEN was expanded to provide resources from around the globe using the World Wide Web. composite thickness for the entire basin of at least 63,000 ft but reaches a maximum thickness in any one Right: With time, expanding soils exert several tons per square foot of pressure on the foundation and shallow pilings. Virginia (Dever and others, 1977). 133 0 obj <> endobj The fault also passes through Ballard, McCracken, Livingston, and Marshall counties before it reaches its terminus at the Tennessee border. 16; not labeled on the geologic map) occupies most of central Kentucky, as The potential for significant shaking and ground movement can cause considerable damage to structures in the region. Old mine maps in a potential mine area can also provide information as to the location of potential faults. The Appalachian basin in Kentucky contains several major structural features: the Kentucky River and %PDF-1.4 % The faults along the southern border of the Western Kentucky Coal Field (part of the Illinois Basin in Kentucky) include the Pennyroyal Fault System. Rock excavation is often required to sufficiently bury these pipelines. 0000003508 00000 n mi. The KyGeoNet is the Geospatial Data Clearinghouse for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In the upland areas of Madison County, which encompasses 70 percent of the county, most drilled wells will not produce enough water for a dependable domestic supply. Of the three 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). Prior site planning that takes geology into account is always preferable to dealing with problems after a structure is built. NEXT||PREVIOUS||TABLE OF CONTENTS. Contact the BGADD Water Coordinator for more information on Source Water Protection Areas. 0 earthquakes recorded in history. https://mrdata.usgs.gov/services/wfs/sgmc2. 0000001185 00000 n beyond the surface faults shown on the map (sheets 2 and 3), as a concealed system that extends into West The fractures are covered by thick layers of rock, which in turn are overlaid by deep, unstable alluvial material relating to the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio rivers. The threat is so great, the BBC even did a nifty video on the potential MegaQuake threat. The Pennyrile fault system (Green River fault zone of Lidiak Calloway County - Murray. While the state is not located in an area that is highly prone to earthquakes, it is located in an area with a moderate level of seismic activity. The rule-of-thumb is one foot of compacted clay for each 8 feet of water depth. A septic system is installed for a public facility near Berea. Amos, 1984). 877.778.7827 . The fault zone covers a surface area of 8,846 km2 (3,426 sq. No, earthquakes arent particularly rare in Kentucky. indicated by the outcrop area of the oldest rocks exposed in the State, the High Bridge Group (Ohb) of major structural features, and tectonic history, including age of deformation where known. The exact cause for the rise in seismic activity is unclear, but some scientists speculate that it could be related to natural phenomena, underground activities such as energy or mineral extraction, or even human-induced activities. 0 earthquake. The fact is most states are at risk of major . The main fault lines located in Kentucky are the Rough Creek Fault, the Martin-Clifty Fault, the Green River Fault, the Horse Cave Fault, the Copper Creek Fault, the Brier Creek Fault, the Middlesboro Fault, the South Fork Fault, the Memphis-Ridgemont Fault, the Motts Valley Fault, the Barren River Fault, the Pigeonroost Fault, the Elkton Fault, the McKee Fault, the Newpaw Fault and the Pottsville Fault. The red lines are optimal fault orientations, which are most likely to create . P, Elliott County peridotite intrusion. by the Kentucky Geological Survey, This was followed by Middle(?) and especially in western Kentucky. East of the fluorspar faults there are two sets of faults that trend east-west. The origin of the Jeptha Knob structure is uncertain, but meteoroid impact seems most likely sparse data on samples from the nine basement test wells. Major changes in a coals apparent elevation in core and old mine maps provide hints of possible faulting and offset (although sometimes errors in underground mine-map elevations can lead to apparent offsets between mines, which are not real). basis of geophysical data, that the present embayment stems from the late Mesozoic reactivation of the Ervin and McGinnis (1975) suggested, largely on the stratigraphy or sedimentation of the Ordovician rocks that can be related to the arch (Cressman, 1973, p. 8; Quadrangle The relative direction or motion of movement defines the type of fault. central area, and a downdropped peripheral belt. Geophysical studies by Soderberg and at the surface, which has a structural relief of about 400 ft (Withington and Sable, 1969). through recorded history. described a Precambrian (Keweenawan) rifting event that resulted in formation of the east-continent 16), resulting in the 2 of the geologic map; the Irvine-Paint Creek fault system extends well into sheet 3 as well. The 9. Data set is derived from the 7.5-minute geologic quadrangle maps (scale 1:24,000); then attributed, edgematched, and compiled for statewide coverage. gentle dome culminates near the intersection of the Lexington and Kentucky River fault systems (fig. the geologic map layers are set at 20% transparent by default). These Only the western edge of the Appalachian Basin is preserved in Kentucky, so that Pennsylvanian strata continue to dip into the subsurface in eastern Kentucky. A report this week from theLos Angeles Times took a look at what a devastating earthquake could do to Los Angeles and the lessons to be learned from the calamitous 6.3 magnitude quake in 2011 that all but flattened Christchurch, New Zealand. Map of active US fault lines in the USA by USGS. Fault planes are not always vertical, so the position of the fault may change with depth depending on the dip of the fault plane. The Kentucky Building and Residential Codes (Fig. Illinois basin.--The Illinois basin is a major structural downwarp in the eastern midcontinent, occupying large migration of an arch through northeastern Kentucky in the Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician; they probably disappeared during most of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian (Rice and others, 1979, p. F5, Some Earth scientists suggest that fracturing in this region resulted from stresses brought on by the downcutting of the Mississippi River into the surrounding landscape between 10,000 and 16,000 years ago. Butler County - Morgantown. Carlisle County - Bardwell. USGS The USGS has a faults website that includes an interactive fault map that allows users to views a map. Early Silurian time (McDowell and Peterson, 1980; McDowell, 1983), when strata of the eastern flank began One of the largest earthquakes in North American history happened just west of Hickman, Kentucky, on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. Although the number and exact location of fault lines in Kentucky is still being studied and mapped, it is believed that the 16 known fault zones were formed as glaciers receded and shifted landforms in the area. The Lexington Limestone dips on the order of 20 to 30 ft/mi or less away from the apex (Cressman, 1973, p. Within the thin Kentucky River valley along the northern edge of Madison County, and in the lower reaches of the valleys of the larger creeks that empty into the Kentucky River, most drilled wells will produce enough water for a domestic supply at depths of less than 100 feet. Corrections? The Rough Creek fault system (Rough Creek-Shawneetown of some authors) crosses the southern end of Exploration for oil and gas in Kentucky has resulted in considerable information on the nature of the been reactivated in the late Paleozoic and possibly Mesozoic. (Cressman, 1981, p. 14). Principal structural features of the arch in Kentucky are the Jessamine 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. In Alabama, the fault line is concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, extending from Cullman County to Lauderdale County. trachyte, rhyolite basalt, and weakly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks are characteristic. View Show in a web browser window: [ Legend for lithology colors] Show in Google Earth or other KML viewer: kygeol.kml (Uncompressed, 23.1M) upwarping in the Early to Middle Devonian, and again during formation of the regional Mississippian (photo by Edward Nuhfer). 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 unexposed Cambrian and Ordovician strata. and Kankakee arches on the north and east (fig. The last one was in 1884. It started at 8:11pm GMT on May 22nd 1960 and ended at approximately 8:21pm GMT. 2 that took place near Cawood in 1909. Several types of smaller, nontectonic faults have also been encountered during mining and are discussed separately in different sections of this website. No, Pine Mountain in Kentucky is not a fault line. and Pakiser, 1982) provides detailed descriptions of historic and modern seismicity and geologic and In addition to the physical destruction caused by the 9. The current form of the embayment in Kentucky was established in latest . 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. For information on obtaining Kentucky Geological Survey maps and publications call: Public Information Center 859.257.3896. 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