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East Meets West: An Earthquake in India Helps Hazard Assessment in the Central United States

July 1, 2002

Although geographically distant, the State of Gujarat in India bears many geological similarities to the Mississippi Valley in the Central United States. The Mississippi Valley contains the New Madrid seismic zone that, during the winter of 1811-1812, produced the three largest historical earthquakes ever in the continental United States and remains the most seismically active region east of the Rocky Mountains. Large damaging earthquakes are rare in ‘intraplate’ settings like New Madrid and Gujarat, far from the boundaries of the world’s great tectonic plates. Long-lasting evidence left by these earthquakes is subtle (fig. 1). Thus, each intraplate earthquake provides unique opportunities to make huge advances in our ability to assess and understand the hazards posed by such events.

Publication Year 2002
Title East Meets West: An Earthquake in India Helps Hazard Assessment in the Central United States
DOI 10.3133/fs00702
Authors
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Fact Sheet
Series Number 007-02
Index ID fs00702
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse