UK78ALUM
04-01-2007, 05:30 AM
Mt Sterling seismic disturbances, cause for concern?
Lexington KY - 01APR07 - 04:02:37 EDT
“It sort of sounded like thunder”. And, in fact, there were severe storms in the Bluegrass early today when some residents in this Central Kentucky town of approximately 6,000 realized that what they were hearing and feeling was not thunder at all.
In fact, rather than coming from above, many said it seemed to be coming from below them. And, based on the latest information, it appears that they were correct. A mild earthquake measuring only 3.4 on the Richter scale rumbled through the area at approximately 01:05 this morning. No damage had been reported to Mt Sterling authorities by 6:00 pm, and no emergency equipment had been dispatched to any location in the county.
“We received less than a dozen calls” said Pattie Morgan, 911 operator for Montgomery County, and most of those just wanted to know “did you just feel that?”.
So few people were even aware of the earthquake that local authorities did not initiate any of their pre-planned disaster recovery actions, nor did they notify state authorities in Frankfort or FEMA. Unfortunately, this decision may come back to haunt them at some point in the future.
Longtime residents of the area are aware that the town is actually named for a long dormant volcano, and if one looks closely enough during the town’s famous “Court Days”, there is still an occasional post card or lithograph to be found that shows the “famous fissure” that was filled in decades ago during the construction of Interstate 64. However, prior to having the opening filled, there were frequent releases of hot gases smelling strongly of sulfur, and several farms in the area showed traces of long extinct hot springs and lava flows.
So, the obvious question is: “Is Mt Sterling going to erupt and if so, when?” FEMA seismic forensic specialist Arthur Brooks would love to be in a position to answer that very question, however that opportunity is now gone, thanks to no one in local government notifying the Federal agency. “We could have had a team on the ground by 08:00 at the latest and could have done some trending analysis to get a better idea of what to expect. However, timing is everything, and the opportunity is long gone now”.
As to a possible eruption, Brooks advises everyone to err on the side of caution. “This is the first activity centered here directly since 1912, so yes I definitely think it is significant”. Lexington felt several very minor earthquakes in the 80’s and 90’s, but their epicenters were much farther west. This one was completely different and that is the reason for concern.
A press conference is expected to be scheduled for sometime around midday today, April 1, for further updates and advisories on possible evacuations.
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/maps/schools/zoom5/210425001706.gif
Lexington KY - 01APR07 - 04:02:37 EDT
“It sort of sounded like thunder”. And, in fact, there were severe storms in the Bluegrass early today when some residents in this Central Kentucky town of approximately 6,000 realized that what they were hearing and feeling was not thunder at all.
In fact, rather than coming from above, many said it seemed to be coming from below them. And, based on the latest information, it appears that they were correct. A mild earthquake measuring only 3.4 on the Richter scale rumbled through the area at approximately 01:05 this morning. No damage had been reported to Mt Sterling authorities by 6:00 pm, and no emergency equipment had been dispatched to any location in the county.
“We received less than a dozen calls” said Pattie Morgan, 911 operator for Montgomery County, and most of those just wanted to know “did you just feel that?”.
So few people were even aware of the earthquake that local authorities did not initiate any of their pre-planned disaster recovery actions, nor did they notify state authorities in Frankfort or FEMA. Unfortunately, this decision may come back to haunt them at some point in the future.
Longtime residents of the area are aware that the town is actually named for a long dormant volcano, and if one looks closely enough during the town’s famous “Court Days”, there is still an occasional post card or lithograph to be found that shows the “famous fissure” that was filled in decades ago during the construction of Interstate 64. However, prior to having the opening filled, there were frequent releases of hot gases smelling strongly of sulfur, and several farms in the area showed traces of long extinct hot springs and lava flows.
So, the obvious question is: “Is Mt Sterling going to erupt and if so, when?” FEMA seismic forensic specialist Arthur Brooks would love to be in a position to answer that very question, however that opportunity is now gone, thanks to no one in local government notifying the Federal agency. “We could have had a team on the ground by 08:00 at the latest and could have done some trending analysis to get a better idea of what to expect. However, timing is everything, and the opportunity is long gone now”.
As to a possible eruption, Brooks advises everyone to err on the side of caution. “This is the first activity centered here directly since 1912, so yes I definitely think it is significant”. Lexington felt several very minor earthquakes in the 80’s and 90’s, but their epicenters were much farther west. This one was completely different and that is the reason for concern.
A press conference is expected to be scheduled for sometime around midday today, April 1, for further updates and advisories on possible evacuations.
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/maps/schools/zoom5/210425001706.gif
