USGS

If you blinked, you missed it. It was brief, but there was an earthquake to make sure everyone in southeast Missouri was awake thanks to the ever-present New Madrid Fault.

If you live in or near Missouri, you live in one of the most seismically-active places in America. Want proof? The United States Geological Survey has confirmed that there have already been 177 New Madrid quakes in 2024 so far and that's a conservative count.

I've followed earthquakes for decades and cannot remember hardly any earthquakes striking this part of Illinois. It was a jolt that was strong enough to be felt by hundreds and has been confirmed by the USGS.

If you aren't an earthquake nerd like I am, you likely didn't even notice what's been happening along the New Madrid Seismic Zone near Missouri over the past few days. There's a sudden swarm of 8 measurable quakes that have been confirmed by the USGS.

I can see the memes now. We shall rebuild. That's the likely response of the internet today with news that one of the larger quakes in 2024 along the New Madrid Seismic Zone just quietly shook a Missouri field today.

If you were a squirrel that built a nest in a tree directly over where a mini-swarm of earthquakes happened near New Madrid, Missouri Monday morning, I doubt you would have felt them. However, a curious mini-swarm along the fault area of southern Missouri have been confirmed by the USGS.

They're twins if that were possible for earthquakes. Two seismic events struck the New Madrid Seismic Zone on Friday with one quake felt in Missouri and an identical shaker in southern Arkansas.

When you think of earthquakes, you probably don't immediately think of Oklahoma, but perhaps you should. In the past 30 days, Missouri's neighbor to the southwest has experienced 200 measurable earthquakes, but they're not all earthquakes.

This was no minor earthquake that hit the New Madrid Fault Zone in Missouri early Thursday morning. So far, it's the largest quake along this seismically-active part of Missouri in 2024.

I have learned a lot about earthquakes studying the New Madrid Fault that borders Missouri for decades and I'm still barely scratching the surface. That being said, I'm a little bit mystified why there were 27 quakes since mid-April along the fault, but now it's suddenly gone quiet.