Iben Browning
The Courier-Journal Louisville, KY, July 19, 1991
Obituary: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Iben Browning, who gained the nation's
attention last year when he projected a major earthquake along the New Madrid
fault, died yesterday. He was 73.
Browning, a climatologist, died of a heart attack in an Albuquerque hospital. He
had lived in Sandia Park east of Albuquerque.
Browning's even-odds projection of the major quake in the Midwest in early
December was criticized by geologists, who said it had no scientific basis. No
quake occurred.
However, many residents along the fault left the area during the week that
Browning projected the quake would hit, while others stockpiled food and
supplies. Some schools canceled classes.
Police and rescue officials set up emergency headquarters and participated in
mock rescues in anticipation of a major quake.
The New Madrid fault runs from Marked Tree, Ark., across southeastern Missouri
to southern Illinois, and produces hundreds of small quakes every year, most of
them barely felt. It is named for the Missouri town of New Madrid, about 140
miles south of St. Louis.
His nephew, Bob Pinto, said Browning didn't look for media attention.
"He did not seek it out and once he was in it, he didn't enjoy it at
all," Pinto said.
Nelson Winkless, an Albuquerque consultant, said he hoped his longtime friend
and associate wouldn't be remembered solely for the New Madrid forecast.
"He did a zillion things," Winkless said of Browning, who had worked
in such diverse fields as artificial intelligence and bioengineering, and who
held dozens of patents.
Browning is survived by his wife, Florence; daughter Evelyn Garriss of Sandia
Park; and two grandchildren. His funeral will be tomorrow at French Mortuary in
Albuquerque.