Jade
June 14th 2003, 12:35 PM
by Walter Jon Willliams
Has anyone read it? If so, do you like the book or dislike it and why?
For those who haven't read it:
History tells us that 4 separate Richter 8+ earthquakes occured in the Mississppi Valley within the space of 2 months during the winter of 1811-12 (along with thousands of aftershocks). It caused the Mississippi to appear run backward for a day as tidal waves raced northward. The river jumped out of it's riverbed in several locations, changing it's course.
The epicenter was on the New Madrid Fault (which is close to 100 miles long) not too far from New Madrid, Missouri. However it was strong enough to ring the Bells in Boston, Massachusetts (1,000 miles away); and break a few windows and crumple the sidewalks in New York City. The violent quakes were felt as far south as New Orleans and as far north as Southern Canada.
note: earthquakes in the middle of a tectonic plate do not absorb into the earth the way they do on the edge, so more energy is release along the surface of the earth.
For a good 400 miles around the epicenter damage was extensive. Log cabins shaken to pieces; Large trees thrown to the ground; islands in the mississippi swallowed while new islands were spit up; and sandblows spitting up rocks and other debris from the ground. One lake was suddenly replaced by sand, while another lake was born within minutes. The smell of sulfer permeated the air.
In 1811 there were a few settlements along the river and some Indian tribes here and there. But no where near as civilized as the Mississippi Valley is today. But what if there was another bad earthquake in that area today? What would be the impact on those towns, those cities, the river, and quite possibly the whole country.
The corp of Engineers has worked quite hard to tame the wild Mississippi since about 1950. Their flood control system is quite extensive, but it really wasn't built with earthquakes in mind (It has, after all, been nearly 200 years since there has been any major shaking of the earth in the Mississippi Valley). Would the levees hold? And what of all the Gas and Electric companies, oil refineries, and chemical plants in these states? Perhaps it is sensationalized a little, perhaps not. Regardless we should not forget the past, and have the future catch us by surprise.
The Rift, a fictional work, explores what could possibly happen if the 1811-12 earthquakes were to happen today. Mr. Williams has definitely done his homework on this one. I believe it is well written and an exciting read.
As a side note, there seems to be significant risk for a Richter 6+ earthquake to occur along the New Madrid fault in the next 50 years -- some scientists say as much as 90 percent.
Has anyone read it? If so, do you like the book or dislike it and why?
For those who haven't read it:
History tells us that 4 separate Richter 8+ earthquakes occured in the Mississppi Valley within the space of 2 months during the winter of 1811-12 (along with thousands of aftershocks). It caused the Mississippi to appear run backward for a day as tidal waves raced northward. The river jumped out of it's riverbed in several locations, changing it's course.
The epicenter was on the New Madrid Fault (which is close to 100 miles long) not too far from New Madrid, Missouri. However it was strong enough to ring the Bells in Boston, Massachusetts (1,000 miles away); and break a few windows and crumple the sidewalks in New York City. The violent quakes were felt as far south as New Orleans and as far north as Southern Canada.
note: earthquakes in the middle of a tectonic plate do not absorb into the earth the way they do on the edge, so more energy is release along the surface of the earth.
For a good 400 miles around the epicenter damage was extensive. Log cabins shaken to pieces; Large trees thrown to the ground; islands in the mississippi swallowed while new islands were spit up; and sandblows spitting up rocks and other debris from the ground. One lake was suddenly replaced by sand, while another lake was born within minutes. The smell of sulfer permeated the air.
In 1811 there were a few settlements along the river and some Indian tribes here and there. But no where near as civilized as the Mississippi Valley is today. But what if there was another bad earthquake in that area today? What would be the impact on those towns, those cities, the river, and quite possibly the whole country.
The corp of Engineers has worked quite hard to tame the wild Mississippi since about 1950. Their flood control system is quite extensive, but it really wasn't built with earthquakes in mind (It has, after all, been nearly 200 years since there has been any major shaking of the earth in the Mississippi Valley). Would the levees hold? And what of all the Gas and Electric companies, oil refineries, and chemical plants in these states? Perhaps it is sensationalized a little, perhaps not. Regardless we should not forget the past, and have the future catch us by surprise.
The Rift, a fictional work, explores what could possibly happen if the 1811-12 earthquakes were to happen today. Mr. Williams has definitely done his homework on this one. I believe it is well written and an exciting read.
As a side note, there seems to be significant risk for a Richter 6+ earthquake to occur along the New Madrid fault in the next 50 years -- some scientists say as much as 90 percent.