Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-03-02
EXPLAINING THE
NEW YORK QUAKE
SCIENTISTS SAYS RECENT NEW
YORK EARTHQUAKE WAS
STRONGEST IN NORTHEASTERN
PART OF STATE.
WEAKER FROMCENTER
INVESTIGATOR BELIEVES THE AP
PALACIIIAN REGION STANDS IN
LITTLE DANGER FROM EARTH
SHOCKS.

Washington. ID. g.. March The re-
rent earthquake in New York 80 far as
bc dccided from information now At
hand, was strongest ia the northeastern
part Of the State and less intense ~ all
directions from that section. according
10 4 statement ~ Arthur Keith III the
United States theological Survey. who
has made a special study az the geologic
history and structure uf the Appalachian
mountain region. As earthquake shocks
are rcgu urly weaker outward from "A
center. the area OF greatest intensity ut
AZ the surface L. nearest the point of
not at the surface. The earthquake cen
ter. therefore. appears 10 bc in on north
Of northeastern New York.
Earthquake shocks are caused by the
breaking and moving past each other Of
great masses of rocks IN the carthS
crust. Rocks are more or less elastic.
particularly crystalline and i%gneous
rocks like granite. and they transmit
shocks for yer, long distances. Rocks III
the carthS crust are always in Il state
Of strain. and realise from This strain hy
a fracture causes 4 displacement and re-
bound that may bc violent. Even al the
surface Of the earth this movement il
continually noted ia qnarric> when new
LAYERS Of stone are sci free. and il j.
sti stronger in the depths of the earth.
When the strain finally exceeds the
strength Df some of the rocks they break
and snap and there j. an elastic rebound
from cach movement This causes the
lesser ircmblines after the first shock.
Earthquakes are commonly associated
With faults or riffs. which are breaks or
fractures ia the rock crust along which
the rocks move past one another. Some
faults are charactcriZct. i. repeated mo
tion along 4 given plane or marrow zone,
like that viii n caused the San Francisco
~raIquakr. The vast majority of faults.
howe ycr are practically dead. and no
motion takes place On them because the
strain has been satisfied or diverted into
other directions. OF this kind are most
uf the old faults in the Appalachian area.
from Alabama Ia Canada. including the
mountainous country of the east. Young
erS faults arr also found in the east. bui
most o fthcsc are dead and their strains
have long ago been satisfied. The latcSI
set of faults di>placcs the Youngest geo
logic f. ndatiunS. although their scarce
il the underlying hard rocks.
II j. usual 10 associate earthquake
shocks with the greatest Of the faults. ~
which the motion i measured III mllrS
These. however. are the oldest and the
most certainly dead Of the faults. AMI
later and different strains have acted un
their areas and produced diffrrcn, faults.
Neither length nor great motioi "n a
fault j. needed Ia make a dis I>irnu>
shock. a. was plain IA san FrlHci~cn.
where a few feet nf motion caused he
ruin. The factor which makes shocks
dangerous or not j. their intensity. aud
this j. directly due 10 the rapiGiiy Of
growth and vigOr Of the strain. GU Ok
aud violent strains accompany the
growth aud rise of new parts e the
carth'S crust where il j. being compress
cl until il moves. IN the old ap,ilach
ian country IT the eastern part III tn,
United States such rise /. ~ oXcvytl.nly
slow a. "a make IL cNistrur' | Y n.>turi
times a matter of dispute. III any ease.
il j. not now the compfr>~iyc character
tint causes lateral Ur viol nt movements
ami dangerous shocks. Therefore. While
earthquakes are not unknown i'm thr east
il v exceedingly %improhahe that they
will BE- disastrous.
The destructive Charleston earthquake
of l>>i was east vi th" Appllirh in>. in
\ tract which i'm recent ico o@ir ;nmc has
risen unevenly from The s-a a. 4 result
of earth strains. It, effects We're rspcc
tally severe. n i usual H. loose fHuna
tionS like the sand and elan whirh pre-