Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-06-09
AMERICAN EARTHQUAKES.
The Seyerest Occurred at San Francisc
and Charleston.

The Seyerest Occurred at San FrancisC
and Charleston.
There have been three great earth
quakcs in the United States during the
present century," said Prof. Gilbert.
the gcOlOgiSt zone that waS very re
markablc occurred in 1911 and 1872
near the head of the delta of the Mis-
SiSSippi. 1t embraced IL number of
severe shocks ut short intervals during
several months. In fact, the disturb
ancc lasted for about two years. The
ground was moved in visible waves,
by which the trees of the forests wrrc
rocked and in some eases uprooted.
their branches being so cntangled that
it was impossible to separate them.
Great cracks in the earth yawncd
and closed again at each shock, while
from the assures mud was thrown into
the air so violently as to lodge in the
branches of trees. Some lakes were
drained by the escape of the water
into the chaSmS which We're opened.
while others We're created by the sink
ing of the land. One great Sunkcl
area thus produced was eighty miles
long by thirty-tivc miles broad.
The other two QuakcS to which |
refer occurred so lately rs to be- re-
mcmbercd by the present generation.
One of them happened in the lnyo
valley of California. 1t was caused
by a renewed movement on what we
biologists would call a great fault
pane at the eastern base of the Sierra
Nevada mountains. In that part Of
the world there Is extensive 'faultiny'
in the structure Of the mountain ranges
each range consisting of one or more
huge blocks of rock bound by faults
and lifted above its ncighborS A fault
is made by the sinking of one mass of
rock in such manner as to change
the rela ton of its elevation to that of
il mass adjoining.
The crea tion of such faults is often
incidental to earthquakes. The re-
ncWcd movement along the great fault
line of the 1nyO valley in 1872 pro
duced Il tremendous seismic disturb
ancc. The shocks continued for four
teen months. Great assures We're form
ed along the base of the mountain
range for a distance of forty miles,
the land west of the fault rising and
east of it falling several feet. \ fence
was parted for distance of fourteen
feet in one spot. Owens river wIS
temporarily swallowed up, and the
numerous other phenomena excited the
aStoniShment and alarm of observers
The memory of the Charleston
earthquake of 1856 is yet vivid. The
focus of the disturbance was about
fifteen miles west of the city. \umrr-
Gus big cracks opened in the earth
of the surrounding country. Water
and mud were thrown up, and railway
tracks We're dislocatcd and bucklcd
The first great shock lasted for about Il
minute. others following with gradual
ly decreasing violence At the end of
four weeks they ceased to he dcS-
tructive. but tremOrs We're felt occa-
Sionally for several months. Twenty
seven people We're killed outright
Tile invention of the delicate rr-
rording instrument called the 'sr.Smo-
graph has revealed the fact that earth
uuakeS are far more numerous and fire.
quent than used to be imagined In
some parts of the world feeble shocks
occur almost daily. Probably there
is no part of the earth where they
cannot be detected at short intervals.
One of the most remarkable quakeS
of the country took place in Chilli i'll
1923. On that occasion several hun
dred miles Of the coast We're lifted Il
number of feet 1t has been rcckonrl
that enough rock was thus elevated
to make a mountain the size of Mount
Etna.
THE Charleston earthquake was felt
distinctly a distance of 900 miles. \
comparison of time showed that the
shock travelled at the rate of 17.OD0
feet a second. The tiSsurcS in the
earth's crust which are among the
most terrifying of seismic phenomena.
must be of great depth sometimes.
though nobody has ever tried to fathom
them. They have been known to SwLl-
low rivers for days without being fill
ed up. Severe shocks are commonly
accompanied by sounds like explosions
near or distant. QuakcS under the
sea produce waves on the surface like
those created by pebble thrown into
a pool and sometimes such waves
rush upon the land, doing Il great deal
OF damage.
There has been much dispute aS to
the causes of earthquakes. They are
often associated with volcanic phcn-
omena When the lava of Il volcano
contains much water the latter is con
verted into steam and produces cN-
prosions which jar the ground fer
miles. The explosion of the great mine
at He'll Gate. in New York. c,rsionrd
tremblings of the earth which wcrr
observed 115 miles away. Washing
ton Star.