A Historical Minute with Dr. Ken Bridges – The New Madrid Earthquake

This earthquake had been in hiding for centuries—a terrifying force of nature that would terrorize the frontier. On a cold December night in 1811, a violent earthquake erupted, centered in what is now northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Within moments, homes collapsed and lives were shattered in what became known as the New Madrid earthquake. But this first quake would not be the last, and it would leave lasting scars.

The epicenter of the December 16 earthquake was on the Missouri-Mississippi border in northeastern Arkansas. Geologists later estimated the quake’s magnitude at 7.7 on the Richter scale, a scale of earthquake intensity developed in the 1930s by California geologist Charles Richter. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or less are almost never felt. Only about a dozen earthquakes larger than magnitude 7.0 are measured each year, and quakes larger than magnitude 8.0 cause catastrophic damage. The shock wave was so far away that damage was recorded in Ohio and felt in New York City, more than a thousand miles away.

Only one death was reported. The total number of injuries is unknown. In the midst of the earthquake, not only did the flimsy huts built by the settlers collapse, but the earthquake also changed the landscape. Landslides were recorded, and some land even sank. Islands in the area sank under the seismic stresses and other islands were formed. The flow of the river changed, creating Lake St. Francis.

Six hours after the main earthquake, just before dawn, a massive aftershock struck. This new quake was centered northwest of what is now Marked Tree in Poinsett County and had an estimated magnitude of 7.0. A chain reaction of hundreds of more aftershocks followed. Forty-nine aftershocks were recorded in northwestern Crittenden County, ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 6.8. Another major earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred near New Madrid on January 23, 1812, followed by an even more powerful 7.5 quake on February 7. Nearly two hundred major aftershocks of magnitude greater than 4.0 shook the region through March, with hundreds more affecting the entire region.

These earthquakes are named after the largest settlement near the epicenter, the small town of New Madrid, Missouri. These earthquakes are caused by a crack in the ground, known as a fault line, where enormous stresses build up over time. These stresses are released by earthquakes that usually occur miles below the surface. The fault line runs from Poinsett County to Mississippi County to New Madrid, roughly parallel to the Missouri-Tennessee-Kentucky border on the Mississippi River.

In 1815, Congress passed the New Madrid Ordinance. As part of an early federal effort to help victims of natural disasters rebuild their lives, Congress offered new federal lands to allow settlers to rebuild their shattered lives. Accepting the New Madrid Ordinance, as it was called, thousands of people moved from the area, most of them to deeper areas of Arkansas and Missouri. The aftermath of the New Madrid earthquakes actually increased the population of Arkansas in the years before it was established as a territory.

The area has experienced earthquakes since the catastrophes of 1811 and 1812. In 1843, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Poinsett County. In 1878, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Mississippi County. Three magnitude 4 earthquakes were recorded in eastern Lawrence County in 1918. A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck between Truman and Marked Tree in Poinsett County in March 1976, knocking out power and shattering windows throughout Jonesboro and as far away as Paragould, about 40 miles away.

Earthquakes have been recorded far beyond northeastern Arkansas. In fact, most Arkansas counties have experienced earthquakes, although most were too small or too far below the surface to be noticed. However, a large earthquake of magnitude 4.7 was recorded in Cleveland County in 1911. Earthquakes larger than magnitude 4.0 were recorded near Malvern in 1930 and El Dorado in 1939. A magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded in Pulaski County in 1969. Two earthquakes of similar magnitude were felt in Clark County in 1974. A series of earthquakes occurred near Enola, just north of Conway, in Faulkner County in January 1982. Hundreds of earthquakes of magnitude less than 2.0 were recorded in the weeks that followed, which geologists called the “Enola Swarm.” The highest was 4.5, but no major damage or injuries were reported.

Other earthquakes have been recorded in the state recently. In June, a 2.7 magnitude quake was recorded near Blytheville. Last month, a 2.0 magnitude quake was recorded near Tuckerman, between Newport and Jonesboro. And last week, a 1.9 magnitude quake was recorded between Lepanto and Truman.

Dozens of earthquakes are recorded across Arkansas each year. Fortunately, most of them cause no damage, and most of them go unnoticed. The New Madrid earthquakes remain the worst recorded east of the Rocky Mountains. Geologists estimate that the area along the New Madrid Fault is at high risk for another major earthquake in the next 50 years. With careful planning, attention to the surroundings, and warnings, the risk can be reduced. But earthquakes remind us that the power of nature should not be underestimated.

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