Why did a strong earthquake occur near New Madrid Missouri in 1811?

The main shock that occurred at 2:15 am on December 16, 1811, was a result of slippage along the Cottonwood Grove Fault in northeastern Arkansas. It was followed by at least three large aftershocks with magnitudes that ranged from 6.0 to 7.0 over the course of the next 48 hours.

What was the most powerful earthquake to strike the Midwest?

The 1968 Illinois earthquake (a New Madrid event) was the largest recorded earthquake in the U.S. Midwestern state of Illinois. Striking at 11:02 am on November 9, it measured 5.4 on the Richter scale.

Where was the most powerful earthquake in Missouri?

New Madrid
Could it happen again? At 2:15 a.m. on December 16, 1811, residents of the frontier town of New Madrid, in what is now Missouri, were jolted from their beds by a violent earthquake. The ground heaved and pitched, hurling furniture, snapping trees and destroying barns and homesteads.

What would happen if the New Madrid Fault had an earthquake?

Over 15,000 people would be killed. An additional 120,000 would be displaced. Nearly 200 schools and over 100 fire stations would be damaged; 37 hospitals and 67 police stations would be inoperable the day after the earthquake in the state of Missouri.

Will the New Madrid fault erupt?

Paleoseismic evidence collected in recent decades indicates that strong “earthquake triplets” similar in magnitude to the 1811-12 temblors have occurred approximately every 500 years along the New Madrid fault and are likely to happen again.

How overdue is the New Madrid fault?

That allows them to guess how frequently large earthquakes occur along the fault. The current best guess, the MGS states, is that the NMSZ is about 30 years overdue for a magnitude 6.3 earthquake — one strong enough to damage ordinary buildings and overturn heavy furniture.

How overdue is the New Madrid Fault?

Will the New Madrid Fault erupt?

Is the New Madrid fault line still active today?

The zone is active, averaging more than 200 measured seismic events per year. The New Madrid Fault extends approximately 120 miles southward from the area of Charleston, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois, through Mew Madrid and Caruthersville, following Interstate 55 to Blytheville, then to Marked Tree Arkansas.

Could the New Madrid earthquakes happen again?

How likely is a New Madrid seismic earthquake?

And how likely is it? Seismologists estimate that the New Madrid Seismic Zone has a 25 percent to 40 percent chance of producing a significant quake within the next 50 years, according to Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.

What states would be affected by the New Madrid fault?

Earthquakes that occur in the New Madrid Seismic Zone potentially threaten parts of eight American states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

How many earthquakes occurred on the New Madrid Fault?

Otto Nuttli reported that more than 200 moderate to large earthquakes occurred on the New Madrid fault between December 16, 1811, and March 15, 1812 (5 of MS about 7.7; 10 of MS about 6.7; 35 of MS about 5.9; 65 of MS about 5.3; and 89 of MS about 4.3).

What was the intensity of the earthquake on December 16 1811?

The maximum documented intensity for both earthquakes on December 16, 1811, is MM intensity VIII at Richmond, Kentucky. This is the third principal shock of the 1811-1812 sequence.

How big was the earthquake in the Mississippi River valley?

On the basis of the large area of damage (600,000 square kilometers), the widespread area of perceptibility (5,000,000 square kilometers), and the complex physiographic changes that occurred, the Mississippi River valley earthquakes of 1811-1812 rank as some of the largest in the United States since its settlement by Europeans.

Why was the magnitude of the 1812 earthquake included?

The authors have chosen to include the Mfa magnitude because it was estimated from isoseismal maps, as were most of the historical earthquakes.