Charleston Earthquake

Charleston Earthquake of 1886 Extra Credit

The Charleston earthquake of 1886 was one of the most damaging earthquakes in the history of the United States. It was also one of the larges historic earthquakes in Eastern North America. The quake killed 60 people and leveled many of the homes in this historic city. Most of the structures in the city we at least damages and the property damage was estimated at five to six million dollars. Structural damage occurred at distances exceeding 1000 kilometers away from the epicenter. This included central Alabama, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. There was about 1300 square kilometers of damage to railroad track. There was lateral and vertical displacement of the tracks and S-shaped curves could be seen in the tracks. The ...