Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

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froggy
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Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by froggy »

After reading on this site of the big earthquake that may have covered the Lost Dutchman mine, I did a little research to see how bad the event was back in the ‘day’. Here is what I found in part. This very well could have covered the site and or moved any markers.

On May 3, 1887, a major earthquake shook much of the Arizona Territory, southwest United States and Mexico, an area of nearly 775,000 square miles. There are lots of historic accounts of the effects of one the largest historical earthquakes to rock northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.
Newspapers, oral histories, pioneer journals, military reports, and personal correspondence have been used to reconstruct the impact of the earthquake on communities throughout Sonora, Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Ground shaking in the Arizona Territory lasted 1- to 3-minutes. Throughout the impacted area, homes were damaged, roads were disrupted, and rock avalanches occurred in nearby mountain ranges.
The epicenter of the estimated 7.4 M event was about 40 miles south of Douglas, Arizona, on the Pitaycachi Fault. The resulting fault scarp broke the Earth’s surface for about 65 miles, with the northern tip exposed just 5 miles south of Douglas. The average vertical offset on the fault was a whopping 9 feet; maximum displacement was between 14 and 17 feet! It is the largest earthquake to have caused historical damage in Arizona – either as a territory or state.

More Info:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... _05_03.php
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alan m
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Re: Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by alan m »

Hello Froggy
I have been researching the earthquake for some time and since I live in an earthquake prone area ( California ) I know some people who know a lot about them.
What I have determined, and I offer this only as speculation backed up with missused facts :lol: .
There is a possibility that the earthquake that hit the Superstition's was not a fault stress type but rather a vertical thrust type. This type of earthquake would cause mostly vertical upthrusting of rock masses and not musch actual displacement of geologic sections along any known fault or boundry.
I have spent some considerable time in the mountains and have not been able to locate any horizontally trending faultline, but I have discovered numerous sections of upthrusted basalt which it is obvious happened much later in time than the formation of the Superstition's. this, of coarse does not prove anything but the upthrusted basalt columns are quite impressive.
I seems to me that this type of earthquake would likely leave key geological features somewhat intact.
Best Regards
Alan
maudina
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Re: Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by maudina »

What magnitude earthquake in California will bring Tahiti level chaos and destruction? Also will it cause major canyon size cracks on earth and make Vegas beach front property like the movie 2012 depicted devouring everything?

Edited by Moderator to remove links.
Last edited by maudina on Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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alan m
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Re: Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by alan m »

Hello Maudina
In response to your question, no one can say for sure. The Northridge quake caused considerable damage and since then California has begun upgrading its freeways for the "inevitable" 7.0. The type of damage is determined by the geological conditions of the fault. The San Andreas is primarily a sliding fault and as such it is highly unlikely that any magnitude earthquake would cause a rush for fishing gear in Las Vegas :lol:
Best Regards
Alan
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Re: Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by Guz »

Hope you didnt click on any of "her" links.
somehiker
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Re: Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by somehiker »

Hi Guz:
I have edited the post to remove the links,which appear to be spyware.
Thanks for the heads up.

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somehiker
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Re: Sonora Earthquake rocks Arizona

Post by somehiker »

http://slam.asu.edu/activity_c.html

reference part 2 and exercise at bottom of page.

Regards:Somehiker
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