1886 Charleston Earthquake

The most destructive earthquake ever recorded in the eastern United States occurred near Charleston at 9:51PM on August 31st, 1886. It was one of the largest historic shocks in Eastern North America and was felt as far away as Boston, Chicago and Cuba. At least half of the buildings in Charleston were seriously damaged, with more than 14,000 chimneys destroyed. Property damage was estimated at $5-$6 million (about $150-200 million in present-day). Structural damage was reported in central Alabama, central Ohio, eastern Kentucky, southern Virginia, and western West Virginia and was felt by two out of every three people living in the United States. The quake has been estimated at a 7.3 magnitude.

[@brianhill7905]

I didn't learn a damn thing about the earthquake from this video.

[@davidlafleche1142]

There wasn't much TO learn. In those days, there was no "Richter Scale" (that wouldn't be available until 1935). There were several kinds of seismographs. Geologists estimate it was Magnitude 7.3, which is a fairly big, California-sized quake. Earthquakes had been known to occur in Charleston as early as 1687; but, at the time, scientists didn't know why. The Theory of Plate Tectonics, discovered almost by accident in the 1950s, wasn't confirmed until 1964.

[@dangillespy3000-v3k]

It can happen again

[@blackcattours]

No.