News Release 039

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
TO OBSERVE EARTHQUAKE AWARENESS WEEK

Volume 35-039

Contact: Hylan Beydler

(For immediate release)

573-368-2118

ROLLA, MO, JAN. 25, 2007 -- "Knowledge is the key to being prepared," is the advice from Mimi Garstang, state geologist and director of the Division of Geology and Land Survey as Missourians observe Earthquake Awareness Week Feb. 1-11.

During Earthquake Awareness Week, citizens are encouraged to attend at least one of the various public events that will be held throughout the state. Geologists from the department will help expand the knowledge base for Missourians by participating in a variety of events, activities and workshops.

In St. Louis at the ATandT Data Center an "Earthquakes Mean Business" seminar and workshop will be held Feb. 2. This event focuses on the business community in the St. Louis area and what they need to know in order to minimize disruption in the event of a major earthquake in our area. The St. Louis Science Center will host Earthquake Awareness Day Feb. 3, featuring hands-on exhibits, speakers, maps and displays for children and their parents.

Onondaga Cave State Park near Leasburg is the setting for "The Earth Moves Under Our Feet," event Feb. 3. Sponsored by the department, the visitor center will open at 10 a.m. with displays relating to earthquakes for visitors to explore. At 10:30 a.m., the video "Hidden Fury: The New Madrid Seismic Zone," will be shown. At 11 a.m., a naturalist will present a program on past earthquakes and the potential for earthquakes in the area, the mechanics and effects of earthquakes and earthquake preparedness. The program will include an introduction to the park's seismic station, known as CCM (Cathedral Cave, Mo.), which is one of only seven stations in the central United States.

The Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau is the location for a Non-Structural Hazard Mitigation Workshop Feb. 6. The workshop is designed to help businesses avoid earthquake-related injuries by non-secured shelving, filing or computer systems.

Missouri State Senator Robert Mayer of the 25th Senate District, is co-sponsoring the New Madrid Earthquake Town Hall Meeting Feb. 8 set for 6:30 p.m. at New Madrid County Central High School. This meeting will serve as a public forum where people can learn more about the earthquake risk associated with the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Information will be provided about how to be better prepared to protect families, homes and local businesses in the event of a major earthquake.

The State Emergency Management Agency and the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission will host a college course for teachers during Earthquake Awareness Week 2007 in southeast Missouri. The department will coordinate course instruction, which will provide participants with an understanding of the dynamics of earthquakes and the risks associated with the New Madrid fault. In addition, participants will tour sites in southeast Missouri related to the historical earthquakes that occurred in 1811-12. Accounts from that time indicate the quakes caused the Mississippi River to flow backward, made church bells ring as far away as Boston and permanently changed the landscape, creating bodies of water like Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee.

Jim Palmer, geo-hazards geologist with the department and one of the instructors for the course said, "A similar size earthquake occurring along the zone in this century has the potential to significantly impact not only Missouri but also the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and to some extent, Mississippi."

Missouri's New Madrid fault zone is the most active seismic area in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. More than 200 small earthquakes occur each year along the zone. The Center for Earthquake Research and Information in Memphis, Tenn. registered a magnitude 3.4 earthquake on Oct. 18, which was felt in the New Madrid-Portageville area and in northwestern Tennessee.

More information about Earthquake Awareness Week activities and the college course for teachers is available on the division's Web site: www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/. Additional information about Earthquake Awareness Week may be found on the State Emergency Management Web site: http://sema.dps.mo.gov/semapage.htm.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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