New Madrid Fault

There was an uptick in earthquakes in Missouri along the New Madrid Fault in May of 2023, but nothing truly unusual except for one that happened in an unusual place according to the USGS.

It's natural when you think of earthquakes in Missouri to automatically think of New Madrid. But, did you know that New Madrid isn't the Missouri city most likely to get rocked by a major quake? It is nearby though.

There are a lot of predictable things in Missouri, but earthquakes are unfortunately not one of them. It's worth noting that the New Madrid Fault Zone has been shaking a bit more than normal lately with more than a dozen quakes being recorded in the past 7 days.

The greatest concern along the New Madrid Fault is potential loss of life, but there's a financial cost to consider, too. A new estimate says the danger has doubled for states like Missouri and Illinois and all those along the New Madrid Fault Zone.

The New Madrid Fault area along Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Tennessee is a wildly unpredictable seismic area. It can be completely quiet for days then suddenly show activity. That happened over the past week as a mini-swarm of 9 quakes have been recorded.

Since I'm an earthquake nerd, I keep close tabs on the New Madrid Fault that weaves its way through southern Missouri. Normally, there are small quakes that happen almost constantly, but that's not been the case this month. Activity along the fault zone has become eerily quiet.

Earthquakes are a fascinating natural phenomenon. The Midwest has waited for another potential "big one" along the New Madrid Fault for more then 200 years. I found some interesting data that doesn't focus on one big quake, but shows what's happened near New Madrid, Missouri for the last decade. The numbers are startling.

After a very small quake swarm earlier this week, the New Madrid Fault has just registered its strongest quake of 2023 so far. While not even close to being strong enough to cause real damage, it's worth paying attention to.

February is earthquake awareness month in Missouri which is ironic since researchers have just released a study saying the state isn't. If a massive quake were to hit the New Madrid Fault Zone, many Missourians would not be prepared based on their research.

2023 is off to an active start along the New Madrid Fault Zone in Missouri as there have already been more than 30 measurable quakes in January alone.