A group of researchers from the Applied Sciences Department, Earth Science Department, and the Earthquake Center is currently conducting a paleoseismology study in eastern Arkansas to locate and study geological features, such as sand blows and possible surface faulting.  The photographs below are from a sand blow near Marianna, Arkansas, believed to be the largest such feature documented at this distance (~100 km) from the New Madrid Seismic Zone.    Two more sites are scheduled for trenching this fall.

Areial photo

Trench photo

Aerial photograph of a sand blow (light-colored patch) west of Marianna, Arkansas.

A trench dug normal (NE-SW) to the long axis of the feature in the photograph to the left.

picture

Local residents picture

One of the many sand dikes that cut through the clay layer and extend into the overlaying sand (string grid is 0.5 meter).

Local residents who become interested in what the research team is doing in the area.

 

Questions OR Comments? :Email: mahdi@seismo.ualr.edu

Last Changed October 17, 2000