Tag: earthquake

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MEMernet: Young Dolph, Earthquake, and SNL

Memphis on the internet.

Young Dolph

Posted to Facebook by the City of Memphis

Shock, prayers, and help poured out online last week in the wake of the shooting and death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph while shopping at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies.

As his identity was confirmed by police, memorials (like the one above from the City of Memphis) appeared on social media. The next wave of posts offered support for Makeda’s, which was boarded up after police left the scene. A GoFundMe page was established, and restaurateur Kelly English donated portions of sales to help.

Did you feel that?

Posted to Facebook by Drake Memphis

Tremors from a Missouri earthquake were felt in Memphis Wednesday evening, prompting many to ask online, “Did you feel that?”

Walkin’ in Staten

Posted to YouTube by Saturday Night Live

Staten Island got the “Walkin’ in Memphis” treatment in an SNL video from Pete Davidson, featuring songwriter Marc Cohn. Instead of catfish on the table and gospel in the air, Davidson claims his hometown has bagels, pills, and wild turkeys by the hospital.

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U of M Scientists Study Hypothetical Earthquakes

If the ground starts shaking, Memphians better be prepared to duck and cover.

A new study by scientists from the University of Memphis and other universities and agencies looked at 20 hypothetical, yet plausible, earthquake simulations. The simulations showed potential for a lot of damage.

The other entities involved in the study were Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the U.S. Geological Survey, San Diego State University, and AECOM.

The scientists replicated the New Madrid seismic zone earthquakes that happened between 1811 and 1812 in Tennessee, Arkansas, and a few other states. The hypothetical quakes ranged in magnitude from 7.0 to 7.7 on the Richter scale and consider various possible epicenters.

If such an earthquake occurred again, it would affect more than 8 million people, according to the study. And Memphis is one of many cities that would feel the quake.

“Strong ground shaking in the greater Memphis metropolitan area could last from 30 seconds to more than 60 seconds, depending on the magnitude and epicenter of a potential seismic event,” said Ramirez-Guzman, a professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and former USGS contract scientist.

The study was first published in a paper that appears in the July 30th edition of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Having more information about the damages a potential earthquake could cause will go a long way in improving earthquake monitoring.

For more information and to better understand the project, view the simulation of a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone.