Triggering of New Madrid seismicity by late-Pleistocene erosion.

The spatiotemporal behaviour of earthquakes within continental plate interiors is different from that at plate boundaries. At plate margins, tectonic motions quickly reload earthquake ruptures, making the location of recent earthquakes and the average time between them consistent with the faults' geological, palaeoseismic and seismic histories. In contrast, what determines the activation of a particular mid-continental fault and controls the duration of its seismic activity remains poorly understood.

Space geodetic evidence for rapid strain rates in the New Madrid seismic zone of central USA.

In the winter of 1811-1812, near the town of New Madrid in the central United States and more than 2,000 km from the nearest plate boundary, three earthquakes within three months shook the entire eastern half of the country and liquefied the ground over distances far greater than any historic earthquake in North America. The origin and modern significance of these earthquakes, however, is highly contentious. Geological evidence demonstrates that liquefaction due to strong ground shaking, similar in scale to that generated by the New Madrid earthquakes, has occurred at least three and possibly four times in the past 2,000 years (refs 4-6), consistent with recurrence statistics derived from regional seismicity.

Evaluation of a facsimile (fax) transfer system for medication order delivery.

Delivery of medication orders for initial processing is often slowed by distance between the nursing unit and the pharmacy. Messengers and pneumatic tubes are not always available or reliable. Facsimile (fax) machines are able to transmit photocopies of medication orders in seconds.