Is the New Madrid Fault due for an earthquake?

While New Madrid has been relatively dormant for hundreds of years, it is still possible it could produce a major earthquake. “One school of thought is geologists that say it’s a dead fault, it’s not moving, it’s not creeping,” Dumond said. “But seismic activity has been recorded since 1972.”

What was the New Madrid earthquake sequence?

Bicentennial of the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquake sequence December 2011-2012. A series of earthquakes hit the New Madrid seismic zone of southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, and adjacent parts of Tennessee and Kentucky, in December 1811 to February 1812. Three earthquakes had a magnitude of 7.0 or greater.

When was the last time the New Madrid fault?

The third principal earthquake of the 1811-1812 series. Several destructive shocks occurred on February 7, the last of which equaled or surpassed the magnitude of any previous event. The town of New Madrid was destroyed.

When did the New Madrid Fault Line earthquake happen?

This compares a 6 point (plus) earthquake in 1895 that occurs on the New Madrid Seismic Zone to the actual damage zone of the 1994 Northridge earthquake which sent damaging seismic waves throughout Los Angeles, California. A map compares the 1994 Northridge earthquake to the 18995 quake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

How is the New Madrid earthquake simulation done?

Your browser does not support the video tag. The solid straight line in the middle of the New Madrid seismic zone is the surface projection of the modeled fault, which ruptures in the simulation. The colors are keyed to the peak intensity of ground velocity at the surface.

Is the New Madrid Fault Line in Tennessee?

It also extends into parts of Tennessee. And there is worse news yet, the fault line offers up extremely shallow earthquakes. An earthquake prompted by the New Madrid Seismic Fault Line occurs at 3 and 15 miles depth.

How big was the earthquake in New Madrid in 1812?

In total, Otto Nuttli reported more than 200 moderate to large aftershocks in the New Madrid region between December 16, 1811, and March 15, 1812: ten of these were greater than about 6.0; about one hundred were between M5.0 and 5.9; and eighty-nine were in the magnitude 4 range.