29 April 2003 Fort Payne, Alabama Earthquake


General Information

Region: Fort Payne, Alabama
Date: 04/29/2003
Time (gmt): 08:59:37.2
Magnitude: mb(Lg) 4.9 (NEIC), Mw=4.8 (LDEO)
Latitude: 34.508N
Longitude: 85.602W
Depth: 13 km


Seismograms recorded by LCSN Station PAL (Palisades, NY)

Broadband, Vertical-component seismic record at PAL (distance=1,236 km) in Rockland County, NY (about 15 miles North of Manhattan). Pn wave from the quake should arrives at around 09:10:10, but it is very weak.

Source Mechanism and Focal Deth

Source mechanism of the 29 April 2003 Fort Payne, Alabama earthquake determined by using seismic signals recorded at regional distances (from 208 km to 1,236 km) suggests that the event was a predominantly strike-slip faulting. Source depth of 13 km fits the observed records best. Data source: broadband stations of the regional seismographic networks in the Central United States. Cooperative New Madrid (UTMT, PVMO, SIUC, MPH, SLM, UALR) BILLIKEN/USNSN/GSN (WVT, CCM, WCI), USNSN (MIAR, LRAL).

Recent Earthquakes in the Central U.S.

Recent Earthquakes in the Central U.S. with known source mechanism. Notice that 29 April 2003 earthquake is at the southwestern end of the Eastern Tennesse seismic zone. Beach-ball representing the April 29, 2003 Alabama earthquake.

Additional links



Compiled by Won-Young Kim
at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University