A historian discusses the Heartland earthquakes

NEW MADRID, Mo. (KFVS) – The Heartland is located close to the site of the most active earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains due to the Reelfoot Fault deep within the rock, according to New Madrid Historical Museum Director Jeff Grunewald.

“This zone of instability is what led to these faults forming in this part of the country,” Grunwald said. “The faults will again overlap this fault, and because of the tectonic activity, that’s why we have earthquakes.”

People usually feel earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher, and damage from earthquakes occurs when they reach a magnitude of 5.0, Grunwald said.

He added that in 2025, the region was hit by more than 300 earthquakes, but only two had a magnitude of 3.0 or more.

“Now that doesn’t mean there’s no risk here for a larger earthquake,” Grunwald said. “It’s certainly possible for an earthquake to happen at any time, but the odds are very low.”

The largest earthquakes occurred more than 200 years ago. In a period of approximately four months from 1811 to 1812, more than 1,500 earthquakes were recorded that shook the earth.

“The big earthquakes occurred on Dec. 16, Jan. 23 and Feb. 7 from 1811 to 1812. You typically see those with a moderate to high magnitude of seven,” Grunwald said.

While another 1812-magnitude quake is not expected anytime soon, Grunwald said that if a quake did occur, it would affect anyone within 200-300 miles due to the density of the bedrock in the area.

“One reason for this is that the behaviors of shock waves in this part of the country are different from those on the West Coast, so shock waves in this part of the country travel up to 20 times the distance they travel in California,” he said.

If an earthquake occurs near you, there are some precautions you can take to keep yourself safe, Grunwald said.

“Try to ask that you have enough supplies to take care of yourself for two weeks in the event of a natural disaster, so two weeks of preparedness is another thing to think about in addition to getting down, covering up and waiting,” he said.

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