NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Sharpsburg, Kentucky Earthquake of July 27, 1980.
- File
- PB82246794.pdf
- Author(s)
- Street, R. L.; Foley, W.; Hermann, R. B.; Langston, C. A.; Zollweg, J. E.
- Source
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC., January 1982, 119 p.
- Abstract
- This report details the effects of the Sharpsburg, Kentucky earthquake within a designated 3,600 square kilometer meizoseismal area. Minor architectural damage, damage to chimneys and to well-constructed structures, cracks in basement walls, and misleading or incorrect reports of earthquake-related damage were examined. The monetary value of the damage attributed to the Sharpsburg earthquake was estimated at four million dollars. Also analyzed were the surface-wave, P-wave first motion, and teleseismic data used to derive a focal mechanism. A detailed aftershock study is presented which identifies the N30 degrees E striking nodal plane of the derived focal mechanism as the rupture plane of the main shock. It is noted that the seismic moment, magnitude, and stress drop were consistent with other eastern United States earthquakes that have been studied.
- Keywords
- Damage assessment; Earthquake resistant structures; Sharpsburg (Kentucky); Seismic waves; Ground motion; Earthquake engineering; Buildings; Primary waves; Earthquakes; Dynamic structural analysis