1916 earthquake
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The 1916 earthquake was a tremor measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale which took place just after 4:00 PM on October 18, 1916 with an epicenter near Irondale on the Red Gap fault.
No deaths or injuries were reported, but hundred of brick chimneys were damaged, windows were cracked, and wells ran dry in the aftermath of the shock. Workers in downtown office towers felt a sway akin to an oceangoing vessel and poured out onto the streets.
Several small aftershocks occurred through October 28. The earthquake was also felt in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. As of December 2012, the 1916 earthquake remains the largest to hit Alabama.
References
- Faulk, Kent (April 12, 2009) "Birmingham earthquake 93 years ago would cause more damage today." The Birmingham News
External links
- 1916 earthquake report at USGS.gov