A NOTE REGARDING- A SLIGHT EARTHQUAKE AT 
IOWA CITY, IOWA, ON APRIL 9, 1917. 
GEORGE F. KAY. 
A slight earthquake was felt distinctly by many persons at 
Iowa City, Iowa, on the afternoon of April 9, 1917. All of the 
persons who reported that they felt the chock were seated, 
lying down, or standing inside of buildings when the shock was 
detected. Those who were on the higher floors of buildings re- 
ported more distinctive evidences of the shock than did those 
who were nearer to the ground. 
The only statement that can be made regarding the time of 
shock is that it occurred at about 2:54 o’clock in the afternoon. 
Several persons reported two slight shocks with a few seconds 
between; one person reported three shocks. 
Not only was the shock felt but windows, doors, and furniture 
rattled, movable objects were swayed, and houses and other 
objects trembled. 
Similar effects were reported from many places in southeastern 
Iowa, including Keokuk, Burlington, Ottumwa, Lineville, Musca- 
tine, Davenport, Clinton, Bellevue, Mount Yernon, and Cedar 
Rapids. At Cedar Falls one person is reported to have felt the 
shock. Reports from Sioux City, Ames, Mason City, Dubuque, 
Des Moines, Council Bluffs, and Indianola state that no persons 
in those localities detected the earthquake. 
On the afternoon of the same day shocks were felt in Missouri 
and Illinois, and the evidence indicates that the center of disturb- 
ance was the New Madrid region of southeastern Missouri, a lo- 
cality which in past time has been the center of important earth 
movements. 
Department of Geology, 
The State University. 
