Seismicity 1886-89 in the southeastern United States: The aftershock sequence of the Charleston, South Carolina earthquake
A search of contemporary newspapers in the Carolinas, Georgia and eastern Tennessee during the 1886-1889 (inclusive) aftershock sequence of the Charleston earthquake of 1886 has provided more than 3000 intensity reports for 522 earthquakes as compared to 144 previously known earthquakes for the same period. Of these 144 events, 138 were felt in Charleston/Summerville and had been assigned epicenters in that area. The new data provide 112 well-constrained macroseismic epicenters. The 1886-1889 seismicity is characterized by a linear relation between log frequency and magnitude with a slope b approx. 1, a temporal decay of earthquake frequency proportional to time, and a low level of seismicity prior to the main shock. These are frequently observed characteristics of aftershock sequences. By 1889, the level of seismicity had decreased more than 2 orders of magnitude, reaching approximately the current level in the same area. The 1886-1889 epicenters delineate a large aftershock zone that extends northwest about 250 km from the coast into the Piedmont and at least 100 km along the Fall Line. The aftershock zone occupies the same area as a zone of recent seismicity with unique characteristics. The portion of this zone in the Piedmont is the only area of the southeastern United States where reservoir-induced seismicity is unambiguously recognized. Seismicity elsewhere in the Southeast, such as in the Virginia seismic zone, is deeper and apparently unrelated to reservoir loading.
- Research Organization:
- Columbia Univ., Palisades, NY (USA). Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (USA). Div. of Engineering
- OSTI ID:
- 6409319
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-4851; ON: TI87900915
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Includes 3 sheets of 24x reduction microfiche
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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