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Research
Overview
Where
most of CERI's focus is on modern data to understand the New Madrid
Seismic Zone his is on data from the past.Since 1999 he has been
combing the historic record of the United States for information on the
New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. Accounts can be found in
archives, contemporary newspapers and other documents that were
generated by eyewitnesses to the event. Dr. Moran is also
gathering information on other earthquakes that occurred in the Central
United States prior to the invention of modern seismographic
instruments. In addition he is archiving historic data with a web site
The New Madrid
Compendium that consists of his catalog of felt reports (eywitness
accounts) of the earthquakes that is being compliled from newspapers of
the 1811-1812 time period.
Current
and Recent Research Projects
- New Madrid
Compendium: Editing and adding to the Far Field felt reports and
adding biographical updates to the New Madrid eyewitnesses.
Research on land grants in West Tennessee and possible disruptions to
transportation due to the earthquakes .
- Research on land
grants in Tennessee to access pre earthquake land information
- Collecting early
maps of the New Madrid area to assess geographic changes caused by the
earthquakes
- Gathering
biographical background on New Madrid eyewitnesses in an attempt to
uncover more information on their accounts.
- Collecting primary
source information on historic seismic information in the Central
United States
Current
and Recent Grad and Student Workers
- Carl Brown-
Carl worked as a student worker on the Compendium 2000-2004. He
is currently pursuing his PhD in history at the University of Memphis.
- Kim Tucker- Kim
worked as clerical help on the Compendium from 2004-2007. She
Graduated with honors in 2007.
Selected
Publications
- Bad News
Travels Fast, John Clark Edwards Account of the New Madrid
Earthquakes(Paper presented for Ohio Valley History Conference Fall
2008.)
- Surveys,
Speculation and Seismicity, North Carolina Land Speculation and the
Surveying of the Reelfoot and Obion Rivers.(Paper presented for
Tennessee Conference of Historians Fall 2007.)
- New Madrid
Earthquakes, Myths and Social Impacts( PowerPoint Presentation for
National Earthquake Conference Spring 2008.)
Web Links:
New Madrid Compendium at http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/compendium/
for more information on the New Madrid earthquakes
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