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The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) (/ ˈ m æ d r ɪ d /), 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. The New Madrid fault system was ...
Learn about the history, geology, and seismicity of the New Madrid seismic zone, where the largest earthquakes in the eastern U.S. occurred in 1811-1812. See maps, images, and sources of the faults, liquefaction, and effects of the earthquakes.
This animation shows the simulated ground motion of the Earth’s surface that could occur in the central U.S. region for a magnitude 7.7 strike-slip earthquake on the southern section of the New Madrid seismic zone. The simulation is based on a detailed geologic model of the central U.S. and is intended to show the general character of the ...
The New Madrid seismic zone is a source of continuing small and moderate earthquakes, which indicate the high stress in the region and the possibility of a major destructive earthquake. The USGS estimates the chance of having a similar or larger earthquake in the next 50 years as 7 to 10 percent, and the chance of a magnitude 6 or larger earthquake as 25 to 40 percent.
A 2004 HAZUS report prepared by FEMA, based on a 7.7 earthquake occurring in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, estimates earthquake damages to be $296 billion dollars across the region and nearly 730,000 people displaced from their homes. In Missouri, the report estimates a direct economic loss of $69 billion dollars and nearly 87,000 damaged buildings.
New Madrid earthquakes of 1811–12. New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), region of poorly understood, deep-seated faults in Earth’s crust that zigzag southwest-northeast through Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky, U.S. Lying in the central area of the North American Plate, the seismic zone is about 45 miles (70 km) wide and about 125 ...
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The New Madrid fault zone is a long-established weakness in the Earth’s crust in the central and eastern US where earthquakes have occurred for hundreds of millions of years. It is a critical economic hub and transportation hub, affecting buildings, infrastructure, and industries. Learn about its history, risks, and mitigation strategies.
