Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Rock And Roll With Mother Nature...!

Did you know that the United States holds the dubious record for one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded? I didn't either!

When you notice the date and the size of the quake, you can imagine just what kind of destruction there would be if it happened today! From the History.com website, here is a little known fact about that particular incident!

Feb 7, 1812:
Earthquake causes fluvial tsunami in Mississippi

On this day in 1812, the most violent of a series of earthquakes near Missouri causes a so-called fluvial tsunami in the Mississippi River, actually making the river run backward for several hours. The series of tremors, which took place between December 1811 and March 1812, were the most powerful in the history of the United States.

The unusual seismic activity began at about 2 a.m. on December 16, 1811, when a strong tremor rocked the New Madrid region. The city of New Madrid, located near the Mississippi River in present-day Arkansas, had about 1,000 residents at the time, mostly farmers, hunters and fur trappers. At 7:15 a.m., an even more powerful quake erupted, now estimated to have had a magnitude of 8.6. This tremor literally knocked people off their feet and many people experienced nausea from the extensive rolling of the earth. Given that the area was sparsely populated and there weren't many multi-story structures, the death toll was relatively low. However, the quake did cause landslides that destroyed several communities, including Little Prairie, Missouri.

The earthquake also caused fissures--some as much as several hundred feet long--to open on the earth's surface. Large trees were snapped in two. Sulfur leaked out from underground pockets and river banks vanished, flooding thousands of acres of forests. On January 23, 1812, an estimated 8.4-magnitude quake struck in nearly the same location, causing disastrous effects. Reportedly, the president's wife, Dolley Madison, was awoken by the tremor in Washington, D.C. Fortunately, the death toll was smaller, as most of the survivors of the first earthquake were now living in tents, in which they could not be crushed.

The strongest of the tremors followed on February 7. This one was estimated at an amazing 8.8-magnitude and was probably one of the strongest quakes in human history. Church bells rang in Boston, thousands of miles away, from the shaking. Brick walls were toppled in Cincinnati. In the Mississippi River, water turned brown and whirlpools developed suddenly from the depressions created in the riverbed. Waterfalls were created in an instant; in one report, 30 boats were helplessly thrown over falls, killing the people on board. Many of the small islands in the middle of the river, often used as bases by river pirates, permanently disappeared. Large lakes, such as Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee and Big Lake at the Arkansas-Missouri border, were created by the earthquake as river water poured into new depressions.

This series of large earthquakes ended in March, although there were aftershocks for a few more years. In all, it is believed that approximately 1,000 people died because of the earthquakes, though an accurate count is difficult to determine because of a lack of an accurate record of the Native American population in the area at the time.

If it happened once, it could happen again! Just imagine the wide scale effect this would have on our modern infrastructure! Just one more reason to join the folks that make a habit of preparing for any and all disasters, man made or natural!

Maybe, just maybe...being a "Prepper" isn't such a crazy idea after all! Get the hint?

Now how about some fresh coffee in the kitchen this morning? Maybe some vanilla pound cake on the side?

8 comments:

  1. It's never a bad idea to be a prepper, one never knows when disaster hits. I have read about this before but I didn't know the scale of it.

    Now it seems we have a super volcano here in Europe that has started to move a bit. It isn't as big as Yellowstone though but if it starts it will cover huge areas of Europe with ashes and the coming years will be rather nasty cold.

    They say it erupts every 12 000 year and now it's around 12 900 years since it did last time. So it's never wrong to be prepared :-)

    Have a great day!
    Christer.

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  2. Not only can it happen again, it will. No matter where you are, there's always potential for disaster, so prepping just makes good sense.

    Brewing up a pot of dark roast, but will drink it inside as FL is getting some much needed rain.

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  3. I believe it will happen again. Being a prepper is a good idea. Also being able to be self sufficient and being able to get along without modern conveniences is also a good idea.

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  4. ok, ok - I get it, and I'm working on it! Seriously, earthquakes are no fun, even small ones can be really scary. Several years in Japan taught me that.
    Bubba - Since I'm now picking everyone's brains about prepping, including those of your followers, I'm noticing the dates on some of their contributions. Quite a few are several months ago to more than a year ago - what's up with that? Makes me even more in awe of you because you do this every day, and usually with a funny picture or quip to get our days started right. Maybe some of those followers could take a page from your book, huh?

    With a few more items in the pantry this week,

    Big hugs as usual

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  5. And I worry about those earthquakes.. since we live near a fault line.. in western N.C. interesting post and thank you for the visit and comments on mine..I'm your new follower..Susie

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  6. That was very interesting as I did not know of that earth quake. Yes being prepared is a smart thing to think about as you always are telling everyone. Need to replace my battery suplies as mine went bad. Been doing that a little at a time.
    Thanks for the great post. Keeps us sharp to not forget.
    Vanilla pound cake and coffee sounds great.

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  7. Hey Christer...
    Sounds to me like you could have a real mess if that volcano decides to wake up!

    Let's hope it stays quiet for a lot longer!

    You take care, buddy, and thanks for coming by!


    Hey Sixbears...
    One thing you can count on...disaster is always right around the corner! Like you say, not a matter of if...but when!

    Dark roast is a good way to help enjoy the rain!

    Thanks for coming over this morning!


    Hey Linda...
    Certainly having a plan to work toward self sufficiency is always good! I feel we need to unplug from time to time or a day or so, just for practice!

    I really appreciate your visit today!


    Hey Sis...
    You are moving along just fine. Awareness of what's needed is most important and I know you have that!

    I do need to clean out my sidebar links. Some are no longer posting and I have put it off way too long!

    Thanks, Sis, for dropping by today!


    Hey Susie...
    You know, I have a sister that lives in North Carolina, around the Hillsboro area.

    I really appreciated your writings and will be a more frequent reader from now on!

    Thanks for coming by today!


    Hey JoJo...
    I was surprised to find out about this earthquake myself! Never heard of it before!

    Be sure and get a good stash of batteries before your trip, sweetie!

    I know you'll be glad to get back on the road!

    Thanks so much for coming over today!

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  8. Doesn't it take about 200 years or so for tectonic plates to build up enough pressure for an earth quake? About time for another one?

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