Study questions New Madrid threat

New findings might give disaster responders in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi reason to reconsider earthquake response policy. According to studies headed by Eric Calais, professor of geophysics at Purdue University, and Seth Stein, William Deering professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University, there doesn’t seem to be enough stress accumulating at the New Madrid Fault line to produce an earthquake of any significant magnitude. READ MORE
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New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Project

The guest speaker on the Mar 25, 2009 EMForum.org is James M. Wilkinson Jr., Executive Director of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC). The discussion topic will be the New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Project. The goal of this initiative is to increase national readiness for a catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). This multi-year, multi-agency initiative is the largest planning effort ever undertaken in United States History. MORE INFO

CUSEC New Madrid Seismic Zone Catastrophic Planning Initiative

EMForum

Soil Liquefaction During Earthquakes Technical Seminar

Register now for a day-long seminar to be given in St. Louis on March 12, 2009 by I. M. Idriss and R. W. Boulanger, authors of the recently published EERI monograph, Soil Liquefaction During Earthquakes. Participants earn 0.7 Continuing Education Units. MORE

Register on-line for St. Louis Class

Missouri Releases Earthquake Task Force Findings - Recommends Proficiency with HAZUS

The Missouri Earthquake Insurance Task Force has released the findings of a task force report which studied the potential effects of an earthquake in the state of Missouri. READ MORE

The key task force conclusions are:(1) The earthquake threat is real, as documented through historical evidence and on-going research. (2) The earthquake threat to Missouri is significant. (3) Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (DIFP) should acquire proficiency with FEMA's HAZUS computer model,. (4) DIFP’s collection of earthquake insurance data should be improved in a few key areas.

To download the report, CLICK HERE

Small Arkansas earthquakes could be warning

Earthquake scientists say a series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come. Unlike this current series of earthquakes in central Arkansas, earthquakes generally occur in the state's northeast corner, part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where three temblors with magnitudes of around 8 have occurred. READ MORE