Sleeping Giant – Illinois Earthquake Fault No One Talks About

If you live in the Midwest, you no doubt have heard of the New Madrid Fault and I'm one of the reasons why. I'm an earthquake nerd and follow activity in southern Missouri every single day. But, there's a sleeping giant that's nearby that you rarely hear about. It's a somewhat silent fault under Illinois that is capable of extreme damage.

The Central United States Earthquake Consortium has some interesting history and data about the one earthquake fault in America that is truly a sleeping giant. It's the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone in southern Illinois near Indiana. They believe that people need to be more aware of what this fault is capable of and they're not wrong.

How big an earthquake is the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone capable of?

This should alarm you. They said that research about 40 years ago by geologist Steven Obermeier found that the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone has unleashed a magnitude 7 quake in the past. There is belief that a bigger quake could be in our future and it could be up to a mammoth 7.1 magnitude.

You need to know about the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone because there are signs it's waking up

Wikipedia has documented several Wabash Valley Seismic Zone quakes with the biggest in the modern era being the 5.4 magnitude shaker that hit on April 19, 2008. It was felt as far away as Kansas City, Atlanta and even Canada. Imagine if a cataclysmic 7+ quake were to hit that region?

I've noticed several odd Illinois quakes over the past two years that I could not connect to the New Madrid Fault. Perhaps that's the sleeping giant underneath our feet about to awaken. Best to be aware of it and be prepared.