1867 Manhattan, Kansas earthquake

On 24 April 1867, a big earthquake hit Riley County, Kansas, in the United States. The maximum Mercalli intensity was VII (Very strong), and a magnitude of 5.1 was given. It caused small damage in Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was felt across a area of , even reaching Indiana, Illinois, and possibly Ohio. It was one of the biggest earthquakes in the history of Kansas.

Manhattan is close to the Nemaha Ridge, which is a long, folded rock structure with some surrounding faults. In 2016, a hazard map by the United States Geological Survey said a very low (1% or less) chance of a big earthquake happening in Kansas in the next year.

## Background and geography 
An earthquake happened in Manhattan, Kansas, close to the Kansas River and the Big Blue River.

The Humboldt Fault Zone, found here, is making for many earthquakes in Kansas. This fault goes through Permian rock and might be more complicated than people thought before. The earthquake was felt across a huge area, about , although some sources listed the felt area as , or . This broad reach happened because of the specific geology in the region. Unlike coastal areas where earthquakes are often confined to smaller regions, in Kansas, they spread out widely due to the firm ground and their relatively shallow depth.

In February 2016, there was a earthquake that hit in Oklahoma, with a magnitude of 5.1. It made the ground shake in the Manhattan area, and this was reported in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. A study found that 100 earthquakes on the Richter scale between December 1977 and June 1989 using a seismograph network. These quakes varied in size, with the strongest being a 4.0 on the Richter scale and the weakest measuring 0.8.

## Damage and casualties 
At 20:22 UTC, or around 2:30 local time, the big earthquake hit in Kansas. It was a very strong earthquake with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale of VII. It caused small damage across a wide area, affecting 22 counties in Kansas, and injuries were reported. The earthquake caused various types of damage, such as breaking walls, knocking down chimneys, and harming buildings, even causing stones to come loose. In Manhattan, near the epicenter, clocks stopped, and residents felt electrical shocks. The following day, there was an aftershock between 3 and 4 a.m. Damage in Manhattan and other communities might have been made worse by them being low-lying valleys.

At a farm  south of the city of Wamego, the earthquake caused liquefaction of the ground. To the north of Wamego, in the city of Louisville, the earthquake caused harm to horses. In both Louisville and the city of Leavenworth, chimneys falls. In Paola, the earthquake destroyed one wall in a newspaper office building. Waves were seen on the Kansas River, reaching  in height. The city of Atchison felt two shocks, which fell lamps and bottles in a drug store, buildings shook, and water flow in rivers and creeks was disrupted.

In Emporia, there was an earthquake with a low rumbling sound, windows shook, and small boxes fell off shelves as people ran out of buildings. In Lawrence, it felt three earthquakes in just 30 seconds, causing doors and windows to shake violently, plaster to break, and a loud rumbling noise. The city of Fort Scott only trembled, while Iola had shaking houses and tableware. Holton saw items knocked off shelves, and buildings shook. Irving residents heard rumbling before badly tremors lasting 30 seconds. In Junction City, buildings shook violently, moving many inches. Kansas City experienced tables moving, cracked walls, spilled water, cracked plaster, and general panic.

In Lawrence, it felt three earthquakes in just 30 seconds, causing doors and windows to shake violently, plaster to break, loud rumbling noise, and overturned stove. Leavenworth felt three shocks, causing a man being knocked off a hayload, a rumbling noise, and stopped clocks. Lecompton's Lane University building shook, and Marysville's high school shook violently.

In Montgomery County, people in moving vehicles did not feel the earthquake. In Mound City, Ottawa, Olathe, and Oskaloosa, many houses shook. In Oskaloosa, the cupola (dome) of a new school wobbled. A train on the Pacific Railroad in Solomon shook violently, prompting evacuation. In Topeka, the ceiling of a Methodist church bent, and nearly all windows in one schoolhouse were destroyed. White Cloud felt two shocks, and Wyandotte County residents were awakened.

Reports from Iowa and Missouri describe fallen plaster in Dubuque, shaking buildings in Des Moines, and cracked plaster in Chillicothe. Dubuque, Iowa had three shocks, during which gas burners shook, there was panic among residents, rattled windows, shaken chairs, newspaper cases, and even made holes in brick walls. In St. Joseph, Missouri, windows broke, some women fainted, and a loud rumbling noise happened.

The Chicago Tribune, in its article "At Leavenworth, Kansas", said that the earthquake was a complete surprise. They described it as sudden and said that it scared everyone because earthquakes don't happen a lot in the past.

The Chicago Tribune write a article about a big earthquake in Kansas. One article called "At Kansas City" said the earthquake shook homes suddenly and made a loud noise like thunder.

## Related pages 
* List of earthquakes

## References 
## Sources 
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