Why 5 Tennessee Earthquakes Today Could Mean Trouble for Missouri

Everyone in Missouri knows about the dangers of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. However, there's a reason why 5 seemingly unrelated quakes in Tennessee could mean trouble for us someday, too.

According to the USGS, a swarm of 5 quakes hit eastern Tennessee Monday morning. None were big and few were felt, but this was unexpected activity for the eastern part of that state.

None of those Tennessee quakes has anything to do with the New Madrid Seismic Zone, so what's the big deal for Missouri?

All 5 of Monday's quakes were along the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone. I will admit that I knew little of this earthquake fault before today's activity, but did you know the USGS estimates that Tennessee fault is capable of a quake as large as 7.5?

Does this mean a major eastern Tennessee quake could trigger the New Madrid Fault?

That question was asked on Quora and the short answer is "not likely". But, something as large as a 7.5 quake could cause significant damage in southeastern Missouri and possibly even as far north as St. Louis.

Wikipedia mentions that the little talked about Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone is actually one of the most active in America. The good news is it only has about one earthquake per year significant enough to be felt, but it's important to note that it's capable of so much more. And that "so much more" could wreck the lives of many in southeastern Missouri someday. If it were to be big enough to unleash a major quake on the New Madrid Fault, well...that's a day none of us would enjoy.