Description

GSA Special Paper 509

The magnitude ~5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 2011 was the largest to occur in the Appalachian region in more than 100 years. It was felt over much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, caused significant damage from central Virginia to the National Capital Region, and was responsible for the automatic safe shutdown of a nuclear power station. It invigorated interest in earthquake processes, hazards, and preparedness along the Eastern Seaboard, and responses of the science and engineering communities to this rare event serve as models for responding to future events. The earthquake provided important new seismologic, engineering, geologic, hydrologic, and geophysical data that contribute to the understanding of earthquakes in eastern North America, and to better assessment and mitigation of seismic hazards. This collection of 23 chapters makes these results available for geoscientists, engineers, and decision-makers interested in understanding earthquakes and seismic hazards in eastern North America and other intraplate settings.