Sudden Swarm of 5 New Madrid, Missouri Quakes in Just 2 Hours
There is a sudden surge of activity along the New Madrid Fault in southern Missouri. No less than 5 measurable earthquakes have just happened in the span of only a couple hours Thanksgiving morning.
The timing of this is unusual. Earlier today, I shared the first time I've ever seen a New Madrid quake happen in both Missouri and the state of Mississippi. Now, I see that there have been 5 New Madrid quakes Thanksgiving morning between 2:30 am and 4:30am.
None have been large, but this is the most frequent sequence of quakes I've seen in southern Missouri in a long time. There was also a northern Arkansas quake that was a part of this ongoing mini-swarm.
This is one of these instances where I will be keeping a close eye on the New Madrid Fault in southern Missouri today. It could be this is just a sporadic mini-swarm that is not an indication of a bigger quake coming. But, it's just unusual enough that I will be watching to make sure this swarm doesn't continue throughout the day as a possible warning of a bigger event to come.
Many believe the New Madrid Fault is overdue for a big quake. Let's hope this isn't the leadup to that much-dreaded event. Stay tuned as I'll update this article if new activity continues.
Simulation Shows the Terror of a 7.7 New Madrid Quake in Missouri
Gallery Credit: EarthquakeSim via YouTube