Earthquake Detected Near Bull Shoals Lake, Missouri

It certainly wasn't a damaging tremor, but there was an earthquake strong enough to be felt that was centered near Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri on Sunday morning.

The truth is that the USGS expected New Madrid Fault activity sooner after the biggest quake of 2026 shook Cooter, Missouri this past week. Seismologists thought a 3 magnitude or higher might occur as an aftereffect, but that didn't happen. Instead, a quake was felt by several residents near Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri on Sunday morning. It was a 2.4 magnitude quake centered in Diamond City, Arkansas right across the Missouri border.

While a 2.4 magnitude quake is minor and is not capable of doing any damage, it was strong enough Sunday morning to be felt by several residents who confirmed the tremor to the USGS according to their earthquake site.

While not really that strange, a quake along the south-central Missouri/Arkansas border is not typical. Most New Madrid Fault quakes shake the Missouri boot heel which makes Sunday's quake yet another example of this very seismically-active region's ability to surprise and why all of us in Missouri need to be earthquake aware every day and have an emergency plan in the event that a big quake happens. It might not happen for the next 50 years or might be tomorrow - or today.