They can’t protect you from earthquakes, but they can prepare you
“My goal has always been to get that information out to people, to make it useful for people,” Kenet Moran said. “Because if it just sits there to me, it’s nothing. It’s wasted. … What we’re trying to do is make you aware of the seismic zone and how we’re trying to figure out what it does so that an informed public can make informed decisions.” (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
The last large earthquake to hit the Memphis area struck near Marked Tree, Arkansas, a little after dinner time on March 24, 1976, and it measured somewhere between a 4.6 and a 5.0 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake, which was centered about 40 miles west of Memphis, didn’t do too much damage in Arkansas or Tennessee beyond broken windows, downed power lines and frayed nerves. No one was seriously injured, although patrons at restaurants and bars in the higher reaches of Memphis skyscrapers reportedly scampered to lower floors to have their cocktails a little closer to the ground.
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University of Memphis Center for Earthquake Research and Information; Earthquake Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
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