Delaney George
-Accounts Of the 1811 and 1812 quakes-
There was two quakes in 1811 and 1812. On December 16, 1811 around 2:15 A.M. Residents were awakened from their homes due to a violent shaking. On the
same morning, another one occurred around 8:15 A.M.. These two quakes had the same intensity of a 7.2-8.0 magnitude. These took place in the Northeastern part Arkansas.
The two quakes that took place in 1812 was on January 23, 1812 and February 7, 1812. The January quake once
again woke some residents with anohter violent shaking at 9:00 A.M.. This quake was smaller than the 1811 quake, but not by much...7.0-7.4 magnitude. The second quake that occurred in 1812 was in February. That morning, around 4:45 A.M. Residents were gotten up again from
a shaking due to another quake. The magnitude of that one was 7.4-8.0.
As these earthquakes happened, the Mississippi River started to flow backwards, trees were bending, and sand blows were becoming known in the area.
An eyewitness, John Bradbury was awakened the night of December 15, 1811 and says.. “After supper we went to sleep as usual; about two o'clock, I was awakened by the most tremendous noise, accompainied by an agitation of the boat so violent, that it appeared in danger of upsetting... I could distinctly see the
river as it agitated by a storm; and although the noise was inconceivably loud
and terrific, I could distinctly hear the
crash of falling trees, and the screaming of the wild fowl on the river, but found that the boat was still safe at her moorings. By the time we could get to our fire, which was on
a large flag in the stern of the boat,
the shock had caused; but immediately the perpindicular banks,...