Paul Morgan

I'm a graduate student studying earthquakes, and I think we can learn a lot from the quakes felt throughout history.

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

#OnThisDay in 1887 the Mw 7.6 Sonora #earthquake was felt from Phoenix to Mexico city. From the basin and range province, where mountains are built when EQ's like this lift the ranges (background) from the basins (foreground) by up to 2m(6ft) every ~2000 yrs.
#CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

On April 25th 4 years ago, the M7.8 Gorkha EQ devastated Nepal killing nearly 9000. But it could have been much worse, just look how much smaller the 2015 EQ is than one that happened in 1505 and may have killed around 30% of the Nepalese population. #earthquake #CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

It's ripping in half, because the north is getting slowed by the impact with continental Asia, while the south is sliding quickly under Indonesia, tearing it away from the stuck northern part.

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

#OnThisDay in 2012 a massive M8.7 strike slip EQ was recorded in the Indian ocean showing us that the Indo-Australian #tectonic plate is is starting to break up.
#CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

The 1868 EQ also triggered a deadly tsunami, and deadly landslides, killing 77. It's easy to imagine that this toll could be much higher in a more populated present day Hawaii.

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

#OnThisDay in 1868 a massive M7.9 EQ shook the big island of Hawaii. Unlike most EQs generated by #tectonic plates sliding past each other, this earthquake was basically caused by the weight of the volcanoes slumping out into the ocean.
#CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

Simon Bolivar did eventually go on to free Venezuela from Spanish rule, and he did so by fighting nature and marching his army over the Andes mountains in one of the most daring campaigns in military history.

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

#OnThisDay in 1812 a M 7.7 EQ destroyed the Caracas, killing ~20,000, and defeated the Venezuelan revolutionaries 1st attempt at independence. Yet Simon Bolivar exclaimed on the rubble: "If Nature itself decides to oppose us, we will fight and force her to obey!"
#CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

@NancyCoddington The main cause of the landslide was likely the extended rainfall preceding the event. When all the pores in the ground are full of water, it is easier for landslides to occur, but the scale of this slide was unexpected.

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

Not an earthquake, but #OnThisDay 5 years ago the massive Oso Landslide destroyed 43 homes in the community of Steelhead Haven in Washington state, killing 43 people. #CornellEngComm #Landslide

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

This is real data from GPS stations that very accurately record their position in Japan. We often think that the land is still, but this is a very real example of #platetectonics in motion!

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

#OnThisDay the Mw 9 Tohoku EQ moved Japan, literally, some parts by 4m(13ft)! When the plate Japan is on became unstuck from the sinking Pacific plate, it rebounded seaward causing the shaking, tsunami, and the motions seen in this video.
#CornellEngComm
https://t.co/fetPdyCN8b

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

#OnThisDay in 1966 the first of a of 6 Mw 6.0-6.8 EQ's struck near the city of Xingtai in northeast China, destroying over 5 million homes and killing over 8 thousand people. I'm amazed by how many unfamiliar, yet devastating earthquakes were recorded in China.
#CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

8 years ago #onthisday, the 6th largest recorded earthquake (Mw 8.8) shook Central Chile with devastating consequences. The shaking and tsunami were caused by slipping of the fault of up to 10m (30ft) over an area 700 km (430 mi) long.
#cornellengcomm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

On this day in 1911 an M7.4 earthquake in Tajikistan triggered this massive landslide. The slide piled up the tallest dam in the world at 567m (1860ft) creating Sarez Lake which holds as much water as NY's Seneca Lake. #CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

101 years ago today, on the third day of the lunar new year, southeast China was shook by a M~7.3 earthquake. The shaking even damaged some buildings in Hong Kong, often thought to be out of an active seismic zone. Low risk doesn't mean no risk. #CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

Did you know that one of the largest earthquakes in US history shook the midwest? Today in 1812 a M7.5 earthquake destroyed the town of New Madrid, MO, was felt on the east coast, and caused waves in the Mississippi to make it appear to flow backwards. #CornellEngComm

[Paul Morgan @HistoriQuakes]

On this day in 1906 a M8.8 earthquake generated a tsunami that hit Ecuador and Colombia and 'washed away' 4 small islands. Fishermen living on these islands escaped by boat, and were at sea for 3 days before it calmed down enough to dock.
#CornellEngComm
https://t.co/CxOODhuRwQ