The New Madrid Fault Line

The New Madrid Fault Line is the most seismically active area of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, according to information from the last 40 years of instrumental recordings. Due to the nature of the bedrock in the earth’s crust in the central United States, earthquakes in this region can shake an area approximately 20 times larger than earthquakes in California. It experiences an average of 200 earthquakes every year—most, however, are too small to be felt. The New Madrid Seismic Zone is a 150-mile-long fault zone spanning four states in the Midwestern United States. If a sizable quake happened today, it would cause significant damage in at least eight states, the consequences could be severe, especially given the dense population in cities like Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri. Some scientists believe the probability of a large earthquake (magnitude 7.0-8.0) is about 10% in 50 years. The New Madrid Fault Line remains a key area of study and concern for both scientists and policymakers, as its potential for causing large-scale damage to the Midwest region is taken very seriously.