Odd Earthquakes Rattle Missouri’s Bull Shoals Lake

We're very accustomed to minor earthquakes in southern Missouri in the boot heel thanks to the always-active New Madrid Fault. Thursday was different with two odd earthquakes that were centered near Bull Shoals Lake along the Missouri/Arkansas border.

I knew something new was happening when I checked the USGS earthquake shake page this morning. There were two quakes with one just off the shore of Bull Shoals Lake not far from Pontiac, Missouri.

The other earthquake was further east just across the Arkansas border, but still not in the typical Missouri boot heel location.

Neither quake was anything serious. The Pontiac, Missouri tremor was a mild 2.1 while the Arkansas quake was confirmed as a 2.2 magnitude quake.

How common are earthquakes along Bull Shoals Lake in Missouri?

I queried the USGS archives and only found 3 quakes so far in 2025 that were anywhere near Bull Shoals Lakes. While I admit that my memory isn't quite what it used to be, I can count on one hand the number of New Madrid quakes that have been in this part of Missouri over the past couple of years. It's just not typical.

Does this mean a larger quake is imminent?

The short answer is no. The long answer is there's no way to predict earthquakes prior to a major tremor. We don't know a foreshock is a foreshock until after a big quake happens. I pay attention to odd quakes as a possible sign of an uptick in activity, but it's purely anecdotal at this point. The two along the southern Missouri border today are just another reminder to always be quake aware just in case.