Another earthquake hits Missouri, 40th this month hits the eastern half of the United States

Each dot indicates the epicenter of the earthquake that occurred during the past 30 days; Concentric circles wrap around today’s latest earthquake in south central Missouri. Photos: USGS

Another earthquake hit southern Missouri early this morning, making it the 40th earthquake to hit the eastern United States in the past 30 days. In recent weeks, earthquakes have hit New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina and Missouri. Most of these earthquakes occurred in an area known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone and today’s earthquake was not far from the heart of that area.

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

Today’s relatively weak earthquake struck at 2:16 a.m. local time; The magnitude 2.2 event occurred at a depth of 13.8 km from west to northwest of the Western Plains in the Ozark Plateau region of south-central Missouri. While the USGS confirmed the seismic event, the earthquake didn’t prompt anyone to use the phrase “Did you feel it?” Reporting tool on their website to report feeling any vibration or damage.

While today’s earthquake was close to the New Madrid seismic zone, it wasn’t actually within it. Although not as well known for earthquakes as California or Alaska, the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), located in southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois, is the most seismically active area in the United States. , east. from the Rocky Mountains.

The New Madrid Seismic Zone extends 120 miles south of Charleston, Missouri, past Interstate 55 near Marked Tree, Arkansas. The NMSZ consists of a series of large ancient faults buried under thick, soft sediments. These faults cross five state lines, the Mississippi River in three places, and the Ohio River in two places.

According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the New Madrid seismic zone is active and averages about 200 measured events per year (magnitude 1.0 or greater). Tremors large enough to be felt (magnitude 2.5 – 3.0) occur annually. On average every 18 months, a rift releases a shock of magnitude 4.0 or greater, which can cause minor local damage. An amount of 5.0 or greater occurs about once every decade, can cause significant damage and can be felt in many cases.

On December 16, 1811, at about 2:15 a.m., a powerful 8.1-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Arkansas in what is now the NMSZ. 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. Earth movements were very violent near the epicenter, causing land liquefaction, 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.

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

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.

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 vibrations, earthquakes were also responsible for creating 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.

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 also helped heat the water.

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

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 1812 earthquake was so severe that boats on the Mississippi River reported that the flow of water there reversed for several hours.

Today’s earthquake in southern Missouri is a gentle reminder that regions off the west coast of the United States are prone to episodic seismic activity.

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