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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.
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.
Computer Simulation of a Magnitude 7.7 Earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. 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 New Madrid Seismic Zone is the most active seismic area in the eastern U.S., with a history of major earthquakes in 1811-1812 and 1843. Learn about the fault system, the seismic hazard analysis, the geographic impact and the damages caused by earthquakes in this region.
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.
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.
Johnston and Schweig attributed this earthquake to a rupture on the New Madrid North Fault. This may have placed strain on the Reelfoot Fault. February 7, 1812, 9:45 UTC (3:45 am local time): M 7.4–8.6, epicenter near New Madrid, Missouri. The town of New Madrid was destroyed.