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Friday, August 31, 2018

132 Years Ago Today

This TWEET caught my eye today.  The great Charleston Earthquake occurred on this day (August 31st) in 1886.  I vacationed in SC recently and had no idea this had ever occurred, at least not in recorded history. Hurricanes seem to be on everyone's mind, but other hazards exist in many places--even those you wouldn't expect.  The recent quakes in Virginia and Maryland that damaged the Washington Monument and other historic structures are a sobering reminder to "be prepared." 

An online piece by Earth Magazine (also the source of the photo) described the chaos that ensued, as:

"In late August 1886, Charleston, S.C., was in the grip of a heat wave. It was so hot during the day that many offices were closed and events were postponed until later in the evening when temperatures had cooled. So, when powerful seismic waves rippled across the city at 9:51 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 1886, people were sent scrambling not just out of homes, theaters and the opera house, but out of churches, offices and other buildings .... Regardless of their social standing, residents found themselves out on the steamy streets in varying degrees of dress, many barefoot. The air was filled with dust, sent up from the dry ground as roofs, chimneys and columns crashed to Earth. White dust from brick mortar and plaster, which had been sheared and pulverized as the rolling ground pulled down walls, now coated a mass of terrified Charlestonians."


The shaking was felt along the entire east coast and as far west as the Mississippi River.  To-date, it is the most powerful and destructive seismic event in recorded history to occur in the southeastern US.  As many as 100 people perished; but feeling the earth move in such a populated area spurred action by scientists and politicians that helped bring about many advancements in seismic science and detection.

A postscript from the article is interesting:

"It is an unusual location for such an event. South Carolina sits in the middle of the North American Plate, far from active tectonic boundaries. Research indicates that the rupture of this rare, intraplate earthquake occurred on an ancient, buried fault thought to be a remnant of the breakup of Pangea during the Mesozoic."

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