1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake

1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake

The 1867 Manhattan earthquake struck Riley County, Kansas, in the United States on April 24, 1867. It measured 5. 1 on a seismic scale that is based on an isoseismal map or the event’s felt area. Felt over an area of 200,000 square miles, the earthquake reached the states of Indiana, Illinois, and possibly Ohio. It remains the largest earthquake to originate in the state, though at least 25 have taken place since.

About 1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake in brief

Summary 1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquakeThe 1867 Manhattan earthquake struck Riley County, Kansas, in the United States on April 24, 1867. It measured 5. 1 on a seismic scale that is based on an isoseismal map or the event’s felt area. The earthquake had a maximum perceived intensity of VII on the Mercalli intensity scale. Felt over an area of 200,000 square miles, the earthquake reached the states of Indiana, Illinois, and possibly Ohio, though the latter reports have been questioned. It remains the largest earthquake to originate in the state, though at least 25 have taken place since, including another powerful earthquake 10 miles north of Manhattan in Pottawatomie County in 2016. Kansas is not known for earthquake activity, but an earthquake could occur at any time. A 2016 hazard map estimated a 1% or lower risk for a major earthquake in Kansas for the following year, though scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey think an earthquake of magnitude 7. 0 remains possible. It caused minor damage, reports of which were confined to Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri. The following day, an aftershock occurred between m m 3 and 4.

The 1867 earthquake followed the Midcontinent seismic trend: unlike coastal earthquakes in the. United States, events in the central and east-central sectors of the country are spread out over extensive areas. This occurs as a result of the region’s stiff soil, and because earthquakes in Kansas tend to occur at a shallow depth. The Nemaha Range lies roughly 50 miles east of the midcontinent rift, which forms a layer of basaltic rock about 1. 1 billion years old. It hosts the Humboldt Fault Zone, which, in addition to serving as the range’s easternmost boundary, has produced a large portion of the state’s earthquakes. The fault is responsible for at least several small tremors smaller than magnitude 2. 7 each year. It is also present in the Central Kansas Uplift, the faults of which produced several small earthquakes during the late 1980s. According to a report in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, the frequency of moderately strong earthquakes within the state is between 40 and 45 years.