1895 Charleston earthquake

1895 Charleston earthquake
UTC time	1895-10-31 11:08:00
USGS-ANSS	ComCat
Local date	October 31, 1895
Local time	05:07 CST
Magnitude	5.8–6.6 Mw
Epicenter	36°54′N 89°18′W / 36.9°N 89.3°W
Areas affected	United States
Max. intensity	MMI VIII (Severe)
Casualties	2 fatalities, 7 injured

The 1895 Charleston earthquake, also known as the Halloween earthquake, occurred on October 31, at 05:07 CST near Charleston, Missouri. It had an estimated moment magnitude of 5.8–6.6 and evaluated Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe).^[1] The earthquake caused substantial property damage in the states of Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. Shaking was widespread, being felt across 23 states and even in Canada. At least two people died and seven were injured.

Tectonic setting

The New Madrid Seismic Zone located in the midcontinental United States is a region of concentrated seismic activity. This zone is within the Reelfoot Rift, a failed rift trending northeast. Faulting within the rift occasionally causes small to moderate earthquakes. In 1811–1812, a series of large earthquakes occurred on the rift, causing great devastation.^[2]

Martin and Hough postulated three different plausible events, a north-northwest rupture from Henson Lake to Charleston, a northeast rupture on the western boundary faults of the Reelfoot Rift, or north-northeast or north-northwest rupture within the rift. They concluded that the third event was most consistent with reports of the macroseismic effects, but not with liquefaction reports. It was also possible that the rupture involved more than one fault. Inferred aftershock locations suggest compatibility with the latter model, and agrees with the intensity distribution which suggest a northeast-propagating rupture. All three models indicate the earthquake was a buried rupture event along a 5–20 km (3.1–12.4 mi) fault.^[2]

Earthquake

It has been widely accepted that the city of Charleston is the approximate location of the earthquake based on reports of soil liquefaction and strong shaking. Extensive documentation of its macroseismic effects were used by researchers to determine its magnitude. Most existing scientific journals agree that the magnitude was about magnitude 6.0 or larger.^[2] A 1996 paper estimated the magnitude to be 6.6 M_w  based on studying the intensity distribution.^[3] Recently (2019), seismologists Martin and Hough estimated the magnitude to be 5.8 M_w .^[2]

No foreshock activity preceded the mainshock, and there are sparse documentation of aftershocks. However, at Elwood, Indiana, a three-second shock was felt at 07:15, on the day of the mainshock. The shock was not felt outside of the city. This may be a possible documented aftershock. One newspaper account stated that the ground "continued to vibrate for fully twenty minutes". In Cairo, Illinois, an aftershock was reported 15 minutes following the mainshock. This aftershock is thought to have been felt in Memphis, Tennessee; Hickman, Kentucky; and Hammond, Indiana. Another aftershock was felt on November 1, and another on December 31.^[2]

Damage

The earthquake is considered the largest and most destructive in the area since 1812. Building damage and liquefaction was observed along a linear path from Bertrand (MO) to Cairo (IL). Sand volcanoes were observed in some areas north and south of Charleston. Charleston experienced extensive damage; collapsed chimneys, broken windows and plasters occurred on schools, homes, churches and commercial buildings across the town. At Cairo, chimneys and windows of most buildings were destroyed. The town courthouse, library, and a church was seriously damaged. Many buildings large cracks to its brick walls. A pier on the Ohio River was cracked.^[4] It caused two deaths; one in Bardwell, Kentucky, where a man passed from a "fright", and another in Avery, Iowa, where a worker was killed by falling slate at a mine. An explosion due to a ruptured gas pipe at Cincinnati, Ohio injuring seven people.^[2]

In Chicago, Illinois, all 12,000 telephone exchange were activated simultaneously. Many residents were awakened by rattling windows, although there was minimal damage. At St. Louis, Missouri, frightened residents rushed out of their homes. There was relatively little damage to old masonry buildings. Two chimneys in Memphis, Tennessee toppled during the shaking. Light shaking was felt at McKeesport and Bellevue, Pennsylvania. Buildings as far away as Indianapolis and Kansas City shook, awakening residents.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b "M 5.8 – Near Charleston, Missouri". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Martin, Stacey S.; Hough, Susan E. (2019). "Where was the 31 October 1895 Charleston, Missouri, Earthquake?". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 109 (4): 1479–1497. Bibcode:2019BuSSA.109.1479M. doi:10.1785/0120180328. S2CID 182215021.
^ Johnston, Arch C. (1996). "Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions—III. New Madrid 1811–1812, Charleston 1886 and Lisbon 1755". Geophysical Journal International. 126 (2): 314–344. Bibcode:1996GeoJI.126..314J. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.1996.tb05294.x.
^ Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J.L. (1993). Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (revised) (Report). Professional Paper. p. 418. doi:10.3133/pp1527. hdl:2027/uc1.31822016474439.
^ "1895 Halloween earthquake" (PDF). Illinois State Geological Survey. 1995. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

[usgs-1] "M 5.8 – Near Charleston, Missouri". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved July 26, 2022.

[Martin19-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Martin, Stacey S.; Hough, Susan E. (2019). "Where was the 31 October 1895 Charleston, Missouri, Earthquake?". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 109 (4): 1479–1497. Bibcode:2019BuSSA.109.1479M. doi:10.1785/0120180328. S2CID 182215021.

[Johnston96-3] Johnston, Arch C. (1996). "Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions—III. New Madrid 1811–1812, Charleston 1886 and Lisbon 1755". Geophysical Journal International. 126 (2): 314–344. Bibcode:1996GeoJI.126..314J. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.1996.tb05294.x.

[Stover-4] Stover, C. W.; Coffman, J.L. (1993). Seismicity of the United States, 1568–1989 (revised) (Report). Professional Paper. p. 418. doi:10.3133/pp1527. hdl:2027/uc1.31822016474439.

[ISGS-5] "1895 Halloween earthquake" (PDF). Illinois State Geological Survey. 1995. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

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v t e Earthquakes in the 1800s
1800s	1802 Vrancea 1803 Garhwal 1804 Kisakata 1804 Almería 1805 Molise
1810s	1810 Crete 1810 North Korea 1811–1812 New Madrid 1812 Caracas 1812 San Juan Capistrano 1812 Ventura 1815 Pinglu 1815 Bali 1816 North Atlantic 1816 Guatemala 1817 Santiago del Estero 1819 Copiapó 1819 Rann of Kutch
1820s	1822 Costa Rica 1822 Aleppo 1825 Blida 1828 Sanjō 1829 Torrevieja
1830s	1830 Cixian 1833 Bihar–Nepal 1833 Kunming 1833 Sumatra 1833 Shōnai 1834 Jerusalem 1834 Java 1835 Concepción 1837 Galilee 1837 Valdivia 1838 Vrancea 1838 San Andreas 1839 Ava
1840s	1840 Ahora 1841 Kamchatka 1841 Caída da Praia 1842 Cap-Haïtien 1843 Nias 1843 Guadeloupe 1843 Wanganui 1844 Salta 1847 Zenkoji 1848 Marlborough
1850s	1850 Xichang 1851 Vulture 1852 Banda Sea 1852 Acapulco 1853 Shiraz 1854 Iga–Ueno 1854 Tōkai 1854 Nankai 1855 Wairarapa 1855 Bursa 1855 Edo 1856 Djijelli 1856 Heraklion 1857 Fort Tejon 1857 Basilicata 1858 Hietsu 1859 Erzurum 1859 Shamakhi
1860s	1861 Sumatra 1861 Mendoza 1861 Mendoza 1863 Jujuy 1863 Hawke's Bay 1863 Manila 1865 Memphis 1866 Bingöl 1867 Manhattan 1867 Java 1867 Virgin Islands 1867 Keelung 1868 Hawaii 1868 Arica 1868 Ecuador 1868 Hayward 1869 Christchurch 1869 Cachar
1870s	1870 Batang 1870 Charlevoix 1871 Lānaʻi 1871 Orán 1871–72 Quchan 1872 Hamada 1872 Owens Valley 1872 Amik 1872 North Cascades 1873 Alpago 1875 Cúcuta 1877 Iquique 1879 Bozqush 1879 Surigao 1879 Gansu
1880s	1880 Southern Luzon 1880 Zagreb 1881 Chios 1881 Nicobar Islands 1882 Panama 1883 Casamicciola 1883 Çeşme 1884 Colchester 1884 Andalusian 1885 Belovodoskoe 1886 Peloponnese 1886 Charleston 1887 Sonora 1887 Verny 1888 Ritter Island 1888 Río de la Plata 1888 North Canterbury 1889 Chilik 1889 Kumamoto
1890s	1891 Port Waikato 1891 Mino–Owari 1892 Laguna Salada 1892 Catamarca 1892 Vacaville–Winters 1893 Malatya 1893 Quchan 1894 Vlorë 1894 Atalanti 1894 Tokyo 1894 Istanbul 1894 Shōnai 1894 San Juan 1895 Quchan 1895 Ljubljana 1895 Balkan 1895 Charleston 1896 Sanriku 1896 Rikuu Assam 1897 Mindanao 1898 Balıkesir 1898 Mare Island 1898 Trilj 1899 Yakutat Bay 1899 Aydın–Denizli 1899 Ceram 1899 San Jacinto

v t e Earthquakes in the United States
Historical	1585 Aleutian Islands 1638 New Hampshire 1663 Charlevoix 1700 Cascadia 1755 Cape Ann 1783 New Jersey 1811–12 New Madrid 1812 San Juan Capistrano 1812 Santa Barbara 1838 San Andreas 1857 Fort Tejon 1865 Memphis 1867 Manhattan, Kansas 1868 Hawaii 1868 Hayward 1870 Charlevoix 1871 Lānaʻi 1872 Owens Valley 1872 North Cascades 1882 Fort Collins 1886 Charleston 1887 Sonora 1892 Laguna Salada 1892 Vacaville–Winters 1895 Charleston 1898 Mare Island 1899 San Jacinto
20th century	1901 Richfield 1906 San Francisco 1906 Aleutian Islands 1909 Wabash River 1914 Reno 1915 Imperial Valley 1915 Pleasant Valley 1916 Irondale 1918 San Jacinto 1921 Sevier Valley 1925 Montana 1925 Santa Barbara 1927 Lompoc 1931 Valentine 1932 Eureka 1932 Cedar Mountain 1933 Long Beach 1934 Hansel Valley 1935 Helena 1936 State Line 1940 El Centro 1940 New Hampshire 1944 Cornwall–Massena 1946 Aleutian Islands 1947 Wisconsin 1948 Desert Hot Springs 1949 Olympia 1952 Kern County 1954 Churchill County 1957 Andreanof Islands 1957 San Francisco 1958 Huslia 1958 Lituya Bay 1959 Hebgen Lake 1962 Cache Valley 1964 Alaska 1965 Rat Islands 1965 Puget Sound 1968 Borrego Mountain 1968 Illinois 1969 Santa Rosa 1971 San Fernando 1973 Point Mugu 1975 Near Islands 1975 Morris 1975 Hawaii 1979 Coyote Lake 1979 Imperial Valley 1980 Eureka 1981 Westmorland 1983 Coalinga 1983 Borah Peak 1983 Kaoiki 1984 Morgan Hill 1986 North Palm Springs 1986 Chalfant Valley 1987 Whittier Narrows 1987 Imperial Valley 1989 Loma Prieta 1990 Upland 1991 Sierra Madre 1992 Joshua Tree 1992 Cape Mendocino 1992 Landers 1992 Big Bear 1992 St. George 1993 Scotts Mills 1993 Klamath Falls 1994 Northridge 1995 Marathon 1998 Pymatuning 1999 Hector Mine 2000 Yountville
21st century	2001 Nisqually 2002 Denali 2003 Alabama 2003 San Simeon 2006 Gulf of Mexico 2006 Kiholo Bay 2008 Illinois 2008 Chino Hills 2008 Reno 2008 Wells 2010 Eureka 2010 Baja California 2010 Indiana 2011 Colorado 2011 Virginia 2011 Oklahoma 2013 Port Alexander 2014 La Habra 2014 Aleutian Islands 2014 Southeast Alaska 2014 South Napa 2016 Oklahoma 2018 Alaska 2018 Hawaii 2018 Anchorage 2018 Southern Appalachian 2019 Ridgecrest 2020 Salt Lake City 2020 Central Idaho 2020 Monte Cristo Range 2020 Sparta 2021 Chignik 2022 Ferndale 2023 Texas 2024 New Jersey
Swarms	2001 Enola 2008 Reno 2010–11 Guy–Greenbrier 2012 Brawley 2009–present Oklahoma 2019 Ridgecrest

Tectonic setting

Earthquake

Damage

See also

References