Earthquakes Rattle Southern Missouri near New Madrid, home of the 1811 . earthquake

Two earthquakes hit Missouri today inside the larger yellow circles. The points indicate the location of the epicenter in the last 30 days. More than 20 hits around the New Madrid area at that time. Photo: USGS

Two earthquakes hit southern Missouri today, one near New Madrid, home to a violent series of earthquakes that struck the United States in 1811 and 1812 and reversing the waters flowing down the Mississippi River. Fortunately, today’s earthquakes were relatively weak, with the USGS only receiving dozens of reports of tremors. However, today’s two earthquakes are among the 20 that have hit the region in the past 30 days.

The first earthquake struck approximately 2.5 miles outside of New Madrid at a depth of 13.7 km. According to the USGS, this earthquake, which struck at 6:48 a.m. this morning, was measured only as a magnitude 1.7 event.

The second earthquake was several times stronger. It hit 3:34 this afternoon, less than 7 miles southeast of Williamsville, Missouri. This earthquake, classified as an event of magnitude 2.7 on the Richter scale, occurred at a depth of only 4.2 km. Today’s event with a magnitude of 2.7 is the strongest of the 20 earthquakes that have hit the region in the past 30 days.

The New Madrid seismic zone is still active, and another large earthquake strong enough to shake the entire eastern United States is still looming on the horizon. Photo: USGS

While none of the earthquakes in the last 30 days have been large enough to cause any damage at this time, scientists are concerned that people are not prepared when a major earthquake hits this region. December 16 marks the anniversary of the first three major earthquakes to hit the United States during the winter of 1811-1812, a violent time in the region’s earthquake history that scientists say will repeat again.

While the West Coast of the United States is well known for its seismic faults and strong earthquakes, not many are aware that one of the largest earthquakes to hit the country actually occurred near the Mississippi River. On December 16, 1811, at about 2:15 a.m., a powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Arkansas in what is now the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The earthquake was felt across much of the eastern United States, with people shaking from their bed in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina. The ground shook for an incredible 1-3 minutes in hard-hit areas, such as Nashville, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky. The ground movements were very violent near the epicenter, resulting in liquefaction of the ground, throwing dirt and water into the air by tens of feet. The quake was felt in the White House by President James Madison and his wife Dolly while church bells rang out in Boston due to the shaking there.

But the earthquakes did not end there. From December 16, 1811 through March, 1812, more than 2,000 earthquakes were reported in the Central Midwest with 6000–10,000 earthquakes located in Bothell, Missouri where the New Madde Seismic Zone is centered.

Comparison of the extent of damage between an average earthquake in the New Madrid region (1895, magnitude 6.8), and a similar event in Los Angeles (1994, magnitude 6.7). yellow indicates where the vibration is felt; Red indicates at least minor damage to buildings and their contents. Photo: USGS

The second major shock, with a magnitude of 7.8, occurred in Missouri weeks later on January 23, 1812, and the third, 8.8, struck on February 7, 1812, along the Reelfoot Fault in Missouri and Tennessee.

Major earthquakes and severe aftershocks caused severe damage and some loss of life, although the lack of scientific tools and news gathering in that era was not able to capture the full scale of what actually happened. In addition to shaking, earthquakes were also responsible for bringing about unusual natural phenomena in the region: seismic lights, seismic hot water, and seismic smog.

Residents of the Mississippi Valley reported seeing lights flashing from the ground. Scientists believe that this phenomenon was “seismic luminescence.” This light is generated when quartz crystals are compressed into the ground. Earthquake Lights were triggered during initial earthquakes and strong aftershocks.

Since 1974, there have been more than 4,000 earthquakes near the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Scientists believe that a major earthquake here in the future is not a question of if but when. Photo: USGS

The water flowing in the air from the land, or the nearby Mississippi River, was also unusually warm. Scientists speculate that the intense vibration and resulting friction heated the water, similar to the way a microwave oven stimulates molecules to vibrate and generate heat. Other scientists believe that as the quartz crystals contracted, the light emitted from them also helped heat the water.

During strong earthquakes, the sky was so dark that residents claimed that the lit lamps did not help illuminate the area; They also said the air was smelly and hard to breathe. Scientists speculate that this “seismic smog” was caused by dust particles rising from the surface, combining with warm water particles erupting into the cold winter air. The result was a dusty, steamy cloud that covered the areas dealing with the earthquake.

The February earthquake was so severe that boats on the Mississippi River reported that the flow of water there reversed for several hours.

The area is still seismically active and scientists believe another strong earthquake will affect the area again at some point in the future. Unfortunately, the science is not mature enough to know whether this threat will arrive next week or in 50 years. Either way, given the large population of the New Madrid seismic zone compared to the sparsely populated area in the early 19th century, and the tens of millions living in an area that would experience major earthquakes, there could be significant loss of life and property when a major earthquake strikes. Post here again in the future.

Renewed activity around the New Madrid Fault Zone does not appear to be related to the ongoing South Carolina earthquake swarm. There, since December 2021, more than 40 earthquakes have rocked central South Carolina, with many strong earthquakes being felt and measured in recent days. Scientists say the distance between the earthquakes in the New Madrid area and those in Elgin, South Carolina, is very far from each other.

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