Punctuated earthquakes for New Madrid area: New research uncovers cluster of past events
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 - 15:00
in Earth & Climate
In 1811 and 1812, the region around New Madrid, Missouri, experienced a number of major earthquakes. The final and largest earthquake in this sequence occurred on the Reelfoot fault, and temporarily changed the course of the Mississippi River. These earthquakes are estimated to be just shy of magnitude 8.0 and devastated towns along the Mississippi River—soil liquefied, houses collapsed, and chimneys toppled.