Illinois Earthquake / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page Illinois Earthquake.

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brmcla (guest) 19 Jan 2011 00:25

Actually Illinois had a small earthquake back in 2004 I believe. Enough to wake you up in the middle of the night, and I don't recall any fuss over that one…wow how people can get other people going. The more I read your site the more I can't stand the scares on the internet. Now…yahoo news is talking about the "superstorm" that COULD hit California…it's always something. Thanks for the great website!

Tomy2011 19 Jan 2011 00:30

You're welcome. This "superstorm" with the claimed proportions is impossible, but a smaller one could happen, if the weather conditions are appropriate. It's just what I think.

Astrogeek 19 Jan 2011 00:31

Thanks! I don't recall the earlier quake either, probably because I don't live in Illinois, and it didn't make the news. I'm currently researching for a page on how the news media (either unwittingly or knowingly) feeds these scares. There's kind of a chicken-and-the-egg relationship between the news media and social networking/internet trends/blogs now, and these "stories" are growing legs when they would have died a quick death a few years ago.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

brmcla (guest) 19 Jan 2011 00:45

Honestly…I didn't even know about the one last year…my mom said she can remember one in Illinois back in the 70's that made her house shake too. I have to admitt just a couple weeks ago I had myself pretty scared when I found out about the 2012 thing…thinking to myself I will never see my kids grow up. You guys have opened my eyes to the internet and what can happen. I thank God that I went to NASA's website and saw David Morrison's ask an astrobioligist with a mention to your page. I know nothing about the stars or planets, and I was scared of everything I saw on NASA's page too from the Crab Nebula to the thing they found in the center of the Milky Way. Then I realized scientist are excited over this stuff but becuase of 2012 it scared me. My family was starting to think I was going to go crazy reading all the stuff. I must say that it is very sad though the number of children that are scared and suffering from panic because of this…very hearbreaking. I will promote your site whenever I can…please let me know anyway I can help!

Tomy2011 19 Jan 2011 00:56

Hi brmcla,

There are many ways to help. Be creative. Give a link to the 2012hoax in any site you go, recommend to scared friends or family… or if you have a blog, put the website logo there, etc.
Another way to promote the 2012hoax, is in Facebook or Yahoo! Answers, if you have an account in some of them.

But keep in mind that don't promoting the fear is already a big step against the hoax.

Peace!

Last edited on 19 Jan 2011 00:56 by Tomy2011 Show more

Astrogeek 19 Jan 2011 00:59

brmcla;

We'd be happy to have whatever help you would like to provide, anything from proofing and editing pages to participating in the forums and reassuring people who come in asking questions, to promoting the site in forums where people are asking questions about 2012.

The only thing we don't ask for is financial support. I'm covering the site costs myself. I consider it money well spent.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

brmcla (guest) 19 Jan 2011 02:06

I will be more than happy to help in anyway I can…like I said I don't really know much about science or the universe, but maybe I can possibly help somebody overcome their fear like I'm doing, and helping cope with the affects of the rumors. Thanks again!

Tomy2011 19 Jan 2011 11:34

brmcla, in my opinion, don't spread the fear of 2012 is already a big help you can give. However, if you want to help, you can create an account in Wikidot and become a member and definitely start helping the website. But you can also follow some tips I gave to you in my last post.

obaeyens 19 Jan 2011 18:46

like I said I don't really know much about science or the universe,

With what you read here, you will become a pretty expert. ;-)

I think the best way to get rid of any scare is actually try to understand the science part.
And ask yourself questions "what else can explain this"?

I just listened to the Skeptics guide of the universe from 1 or 2 weeks ago. The fireworks sounded strange to me about the bird deaths but when the skeptics guide explained that these birds have poor vision in the dark, and probably sit with thousands in the same tree. They might get scared by one firework, fly off still sleep drunk and with poor eyesight in the dark actually collide with each other. This is for an example one case where I did not have enough background information of these birds and area to have a good understanding of what caused it.

Alene Y 19 Jan 2011 20:45

Hi obaeyens,
People just didn't understand that they weren't saying the fireworks killed the birds. As you said, the fireworks startled the birds out of their trees where thousands of them are known to roost and, due to their poor night vision, they crashed into obstacles like houses, trees and such.

brmcla (guest) 20 Jan 2011 19:24

Yeah…I had actually read an article from somebody who lived in the south that said there are so many birds there this time a year that sometimes they will go into a field at night and shoot their shotguns in the air just to get the birds to fly like this and die. I don't recall the site now, but that kind of explained alot too that many people already knew that if they were spooked at night it would have this kind of effect. I have to admitt it was the bird and fish thing…then the Yahoo aticle about the pole shift that got me rolling on the whole 2012 thing. I was scared like crazy…not sleeping…not eating…searching the internet for the next sign…reading NASA's website thinking they were covering something up. I finally realized it had to stop and then came your site…I love it! I have to say my favorite thing I saw was a site to buy a survival guide and kit for 2012…really aren't we all supposed to die? Hahaha…those people selling that stuff aren't doing them any good when the end does come for them…they will be judged, and not just by the poeple that they made money off of. It just sucks the number of people they are scaring…

obaeyens 20 Jan 2011 19:32

I didn't got that too from the stories I read. The fireworks sounded like crackpot in the papers.

Rita Sue (guest) 17 Apr 2011 17:22

I have to admit, I am a little bit afraid of the New Madrid fault… Nothing to do with the end of the world, but I know that in 1811 it shook this place up pretty good, and I live pretty close to it. If I may ask a question about New Madrid…

I have read conflicting articles about this fault. Some folks say that these small earthquakes are good because the fault is 'letting off steam' so to speak. Others say it's bad because it could be before-shocks of 'the big one'. What is your take on this?

The town of Guy, Arkansas has been experiencing several earthquakes a day ever since hydraulic fracturing (fracking) started going on down there. The company decided to quit fracking during the month of March and I guess the earthquakes stopped. Some folks say that the fracking is harmless and could not have any effect on the New Madrid fault. Other folks say that they could be 'provoking it' to give us the next 'big one'… Could this be true?

I have read on different websites that the earthquake has a tendency to have a big shake (8.0 or higher) every 200 - 500 years. 2011 and 2012 mark exactly the 200 year mark. The city I live in is trying to raise awareness about the fault (even going to have a city wide earthquake drill later this month). They say that there is a 40% chance of a quake 6.0 or higher in the next 50 years, and a chance of 10% for a quake over 8.0. Do you know if these facts are being based off of the 200 - 500 year range?

I used to work at a local landmark about 120-130 miles away from New Madrid, Missouri. The first thing I asked one of the tour guides was if this landmark (the original was built before 1811) was effected by the earthquake. He said that to everyone's knowledge it was not. I searched through many papers and even letters written by the people that lived there in 1811 and 1812. I could not find anything at all even mentioning an earthquake. I found this very strange as the 8.1 would definitely have caused damage at that distance, or would have at least been worthy of writing about as the people who lived there were all in different parts of the state and they wrote letters to each other constantly during that time. (it supposedly cracked sidewalks in DC, rang churchbells in Boston…) Is it possible that since the area was so scarcely populated at the time, that it wasn't as bad as everyone says it was? The fact that it didn't seem to effect these people or in fact the entire town at all seems very strange to me!

Sorry for the long post! I know that this isn't really a question about the end of the world… I just want to have knowledge so that I can prepare for any disaster, or spread truth and comfort to others… I am just very confused and wondering if anyone who studies this kind of thing could maybe answer a few questions or point me out to some good links. Thanks so much for reading.

TheGreatJuju 17 Apr 2011 18:51

Some folks say that the fracking is harmless and could not have any effect on the New Madrid fault. Other folks say that they could be 'provoking it' to give us the next 'big one'… Could this be true?

I really, really doubt that. Guy, AR is quite some distance from the New Madrid area, roughly half the state away. If the fault had been involved, I suspect that more than just the region where the mining was underway would have been affected.

Earthquakes can't be predicted. New Madrid has been seismically active for as long as it's been monitored, with thousands of quakes recorded over the last few decades, and I'm not aware of any significant flux in averages to warrant above average levels of concern. The region could shake tomorrow, or it might shake in a hundred years. If you live in an area predisposed toward earthquakes, you should be prepared for earthquakes. Just bear in mind that common sense preparedness should not equate to hysteria and unrelenting fear. That's the long and short of it.

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"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

http://www.undeadrufus.com

Rita Sue 19 Apr 2011 16:18

Thank you, TheGreatJuju

I am prepared, but not afraid. I live pretty close, but I will never let fear make me leave the town I love.

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"FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real" - Unknown
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" - Carl Sagan
"Your leftovers called… They want their tin foil back." - Personal note to doomsayers.

Awesomeee 19 Apr 2011 16:23

I live in illinois

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No man knows the day nor the hour when the world will end.

Become a debunker and help out those that are being fed up with lies spread by False scientists going after you'r money.
Practice what you want to and dont give up on you'r dreams my dream is to become a basketball player 'NBA'

chris kearley (guest) 06 Oct 2011 21:10

I see my town on the map =D

Astrogeek 06 Oct 2011 22:40

I see mine on this one….

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

CoopGirl75 07 Oct 2011 16:43

Forgive me for bringing up a six-month-old subject - but would Guy, Arkansas be on the Guy-Greenbrier faultline that was recently discovered, which would explain the quakes? Don't have a map in front of me. (Not saying fracking did anything…back in the spring, when they blew the Birds Point Floodway levee in New Madrid, those against it claimed it would set the fault off. Didn't. So then came HAARP which was suppose to happen in May, and Elenin, which was suppose to happen last week.)

Rita, good on you. I live by the lake in Tennessee created by the 1811 quake (or a ticked-off Indian chief…depending on whether you believe legend, history, or none of the above). I refer to us as the bad part of New Madrid Fault Town. I love this place and won't let what could happen run me off. I'm just prepared. (That being said, I've used my "earthquake kit" four times due to power outages from severe storms and the big ice storm a few years back - we all should have one, earthquake zone or not!)

Off the subject but anybody remember Iben Browning? He predicted we would have a big quake in '92. Got me two days out of school with that. (Seriously! Turned it out, and we all had a option to stay home an extra day without it counting against us). I think it was that whole business that got me over the fear of the fault as it was just pounded into us over and over and over every hour of every day what we would do if it hit while we were at school (I was a sophomore). We all had to bring something to school for a massive School Quake Kit (I had to bring trashbags, in which we were told we would use as toilets. Nice.) There was also the scare of how we would be reunited with our families. At the time I also lived in what they refer to as "The Bend", where the Mississippi River bends, and had the river on three sides of me. I was told (and can't figure out how "they" figured this out) that the river would cut off that area, and it would be an island.

Wonder why I grew up to be such an anxious adult, huh?

CoopGirl75 07 Oct 2011 16:44

Ugh, this is in reference to Rita Sue and JuJu's discussion above, I just hit the wrong button. It's Friday, ya'll.

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