When was the last time the New Madrid Fault was active?

It was December 16, 1811, and it was the first of at least three very large (M7 or greater) earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks to rock the region that winter, with the last occurring on February 7, 1812.

Is the New Madrid fault overdue?

The New Madrid Seismic Zone is buried 100-200 feet underground, according to the Missouri Geological Survey. The current best guess, the MGS states, is that the NMSZ is about 30 years overdue for a magnitude 6.3 earthquake — one strong enough to damage ordinary buildings and overturn heavy furniture.

Where is the New Madrid Fault Line located?

The New Madrid Seismic Zone ( / ˈmædrɪd / ), sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes (earthquakes within a tectonic plate) in the southern and midwestern United States, stretching to the southwest from New Madrid, Missouri .

What was the cause of the 1811 New Madrid earthquake?

The New Madrid fault system was responsible for the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes and has the potential to produce large earthquakes in the future.

How did the New Madrid Fault affect the Mississippi River?

They caused bank failures along the Mississippi River, landslides along Chickasaw Bluffs in Kentucky and Tennessee, and uplift and subsidence of large tracts of land in the Mississippi River floodplain. One such uplift related to faulting near New Madrid, Missouri, temporarily forced the Mississippi River to flow backwards.

When did the New Madrid fault hit Arkansas?

A 7.5 struck the Arkansas area on December 16th, 1811. It impacted negligible structures, like many quakes of this day and age, modern industrialized structures weren’t as dense as they are today. On January 23rd of 1812, a 7.3 occurred in the region of New Madrid, Missouri.